Hipposideros larvatus (Horsfield, 1823)

Zhang, Libiao, Jones, Gareth, Zhang, Jinshuo, Zhu, Guangjian & Parsons, Stuart, 2009, Recent surveys of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from China. I. Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae, Acta Chiropterologica 11 (1), pp. 71-88 : 81

Hipposideros larvatus (Horsfield, 1823)

Intermediate leaf-nosed bat

FA — 55.5–64.1 mm, mass — 12.1–24.5 g. A common bat species in south China that was captured in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Yunnan. Echolocation call frequencies differ according to site. The bats in Hainan on average emitted higher call frequencies (FMAXE — 86.5–87.8 kHz) and had longer forearms (61–64 mm) than those in Guangxi (84.8–88 kHz, FA — 55.5–61.6 mm), and Guangdong (FMAXE — 83.2–85.6 kHz, FA — 67.8– 62.2 mm). Bats in Yunnan emitted even lower call frequencies (79.2–84 kHz) and had forearm lengths measuring between 57.5–64.1 mm. Kingston et al. (2000) reported that H. larvatus in Malaysia calls at 100.0 kHz (FA — 58.5 mm), and Thabah et al. (2006) claimed that in one cave on north-east India, bats identified as H. larvatus emitted calls with FMAXE values at either 85 kHz or 98 kHz, leading the authors to propose the name Hipposideros khasiana for bats of the 85-kHz phonic type. Chinese H. larvatus was phylogenetically closest to Malaysian bats (100–102 kHz), but might deserve raising to specific status given the considerable difference in call frequency ( Thabah et al., 2006).

Previous records from China: Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan ( Zhang, 1997; Wang, 2003).

Ecological Notes

Found in subtropical areas of southern China where it can occur in large numbers (roosts of several hundred individuals) in caves. They were also found in the shelter (Fangkong Cave 2) around the abandoned airport, Ningming County.