Hipposideros cineraceus Blyth, 1853

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 cineraceus Blyth, 1853

Ashy leaf-nosed bat

FA — 31.7–36.0 mm, mass — 3.1–4.6 g. Fifteen males and 19 females were captured in Guangxi and Yunnan. This is a very small species in the Hipposideridae that calls at a high frequency (FMAXE — 155.5–163.5 kHz). The small size, echolocation call frequency, and shape of the internarial septum (in comparison with bats from Myanmar) fits descriptions of this species in Myanmar, Thailand and elsewhere in south-east Asia (Francis, 2008; S. Puechmaille, personal communication). There are apparently two forms (probably cryptic species) of H. cineraceus in south-east Asia, and the bats from China fit the description of the widespread, smaller form (Francis, 2008). In Ningming County, Guangxi, about 60 bats of this species were found roosting alone in a cave near some villages. The bats in this cave called with FMAXE values close to 156 kHz. In Yuanjiang and Baoshan counties, Yunnan, this species roosts with H. pomona , and calls at higher FMAXE values of about 162 kHz.

Ecological Notes

These are the first records for China. All of these captured bats were found in small populations. The bats were captured in caves, and in a shelter (Fangkong Cave 1) around an abandoned airport.