Rhinolophus blasii, Peters, 1866

Burgin, Connor, 2019, Rhinolophidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 280-332 : 283

6 . Blasius’s Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus blasii

French: Rhinolophe de Blasius I German: Blasius-Hufeisennase / Spanish: Herradura de Blasius

Other common names: Peak-saddle Horseshoe Bat

Taxonomy. Rhinolophus blasii Peters, 1866 ,

south-eastern Europe. Restricted by J. R. Ellerman and colleagues in 1953 to Italy .

Rhinolophus blasii is currently in the landeri species group based on morphology; however, it is probably best included as a basal member of the capensis species group based on genetic data. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

R b. blasii Peters, 1866 — SE Europe (from Croatia E to W Romania and Bulgaria and S to Greece and Crete I), SW Asia (W Anatolian Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, WJordan, S Armenia, S Azerbaijan, W Iran, and S Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Oman), and NW Africa (N Morocco, N Algeria, and N Tunisia); possibly also found in Egypt and Georgia, but his needs confirmation.

R b. andreinii Senna, 1905 - W Eritrea, C & E Ethiopia, and NW Somalia.

R b. empusa K. Andersen, 1904 - SE Africa in SE DR Congo, SE Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, W Mozambique, Zimbabwe, E Botswana, E South Africa, and Swaziland.

R b. meyeroehmif elten, 1977 - E Iran, S Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and N Pakistan.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 46- 5-54 mm (Europe), tail 20-31 mm, ear 16-21 mm, hindfoot 8-11 mm, forearm 41-51 mm; weight 7-15 g. Dorsal pelage is light brown to yellowish brown (hairs have cream bases with dark tips); venter is grayish, white, or creamy. Back of neck is a little lighter, appearing as a lighter band (hairs with less dark brown tipping), and sides of face are yellowish white, with dark brown patch under each eye. There are grayish and orange morphs in subspecies empusa. Males lack axillary tufts. Ears are translucent light to dark brown or brownish gray and medium in size (33-44% of forearm length). Noseleaf has subtriangular lancet, with slightly concave sides, occasionally hastate, and rounded tip; connecting process is well developed rising to high, narrow, and pointed hom; sella is naked and wedge-shaped, and sides converge toward top; top of sella is narrow and tilted forward; horseshoe is narrow (7- 2-9 mm) and does not cover entire muzzle; lateral leaflets are either absent, rudimentary, or well developed, possibly depending on subspecies; and median emargination is present but inconspicuous. Lower lip has three grooves, and two lateral grooves are poorly defined in subspecies empusa. Wings and uropatagium are dark grayish brown. Shaft of baculum is nearly cylindrical in cross section and is bent clearly upward; tip of shaft lacks terminal knob; ventral incision of basal cone is moderately deep; and there is no dorsal emargination. Skull is rather delicate, with narrow zygomatic arches; zygomatic width is equal to mastoid width; nasal swellings are relatively low; frontal depression is shallow to very shallow; supraorbital ridges are poorly developed; and sagittal crest is generally low. Dental formula has 30-32 teeth because P is sometimes absent; F is weakly bilobed; C1 has weak anterior and posterior cingular cusps; P2 is small and in tooth row, separating C1 and P4; P3 is tiny and either displaced labially or in tooth row (occasionally absent); and P2 and P4 are usually conspicuously separated. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 58 and FN = 60 (throughout much of distribution); FNa = 60 was recorded in South Africa.

Habitat. Various shrubland, grassland, woodland, and some desert habitats. Around the Mediterranean, Blasius’s Horseshoe Bats have been recorded in sclerophyllous forests, sub-Mediterranean semi-desert grasslands and shrublands, and stone/gravel desert habitats, presumably where water is available, at elevations of 500-2300 m (mean 1404 m), with records up to 2300 m in Malawi and Zambia and 2150 m in Yemen. They are often associated with limestone in Europe, often near streams in shrubby and wooded areas. In sub-Saharan Africa, they have been recorded in evergreen and semievergreen brushlands and thickets and Acacia (Fabaceae) - Commiphora (Burseraceae) brushlands ( Ethiopia and Somalia) and in miombo woodlands and montane forests ( Malawi and Zambia). They are very dependent on water and are generally associated with streams and other water bodies.

Food and Feeding. Blasius’s Horseshoe Bats are insectivorous and forage by slow hawking, fly-catching, and gleaning on foliage and the ground. They are very agile fliers, able to turn suddenly by banking and stalling and then twisting. They also have ability to fly relatively slowly and can hover briefly. To get water, they skim the surface or land and lap up water; they can take off from the ground. Diets consist almost exclusively of moths in most parts of the distribution. They can detect fluttering of a moth’s wings when it lands and will land and grab a moth before taking off again. They often prey on species of Noctuidae , Lasiocampidae , and Geometridae . In Algeria, however, one study recorded a large variety of prey in the diet, with mostly insects (96-9%) but also some centipedes (4-3%). Of the insects, dipterans made up the largest proportion of diets (37-5%), with Chironomidae / Ceratopogonidae (9-4%) and Culicidae , Anisopodidae , and Sphaeroceridae (6-2%) making up majority of flies in diets. Trichoptera (16-6%), Hemiptera (12 - 5 %), and Lepidoptera (12-5%) were also detected in relatively high quantities, and Neuroptera, Hymenoptera , and Coleoptera were detected in 1—2 samples. In Zambia, moths made up 100% of diets in dry seasons and 96-5% in wet seasons when isopterans, dipterans, coleopterans, and other insects made up the other 3-5%.

Breeding. Blasius’s Horseshoe Bat is seasonally monoestrous, although timing of breeding varies throughout its distribution. During breeding season, females and their offspring occur in maternity colonies. Males seem to display to females before copulation by hanging and fluttering their wings. Breeding probably occurs before hibernation, followed by delayed implantation until hibernation ends. Litter size is one.

Activity patterns. Blasius’s Horseshoe Bat is nocturnal, spends the day free-hanging in roosts, and will often enter torpor during this time. It leaves the roost at night to forage and returns before dusk. Although it hibernates throughout winter, it has been recorded active in winter in various parts of its distribution, including Algeria. Hibernation begins in November in Iran and later in Afghanistan due to differences in climate. It generally enters hibernation after temperatures decrease to below 14°C, which often occurs in November in the European part of the distribution. Roosts are underground in caves and crevices between boulders and also hollow trees. Blasius’s Horseshoe Bats rarely roost in buildings, but they can be found in mine shafts, underground irrigation ditches, and other underground structures. In southern Africa (except South Africa), they seem to rarely use caves as roosts, possibly relying on them more heavily in winter in temperate regions. Call shape is FM /CF/FM. GF component is 85—98 kHz throughout their distribution, being 91—95 kHz in Malawi (usually 92—93 kHz), 85-9 kHz in Swaziland, 96-7 kHz in Morocco, 93-2-95-4 kHz in Mozambique, and 93-1 kHz in Iran and average 94 kHz in Europe and the Middle East. Average call durations have been recorded at 20-7 milliseconds in Morocco, 44-9 milliseconds in Algeria and Greece, 44-1 milliseconds in Greece, 48-6 milliseconds (range 40-1—68-3) in Iran, and 20-8 milliseconds (range 19-9-21-3) in Swaziland. Interpulse intervals have been recorded at 71-8 milliseconds in Greece and 109-3 milliseconds (range 103-1— 117 -1) in Iran. According to G. Jones and B. M. Siemers in 2011, females emit higher frequency pulses than males, andjuveniles emit lower frequencies than adults.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Like most horseshoe bats, Blasius’s Horseshoe Bats do not migrate. They hibernate primarily in caves in winter throughout their distribution. They generally roost in small colonies of 20 - 40 individuals but are also commonly found in groups of 3-4 individuals or even alone. In Europe, very large colonies of mixed species of hinolophus, including Blasius’s Horseshoe Bat, have been reported with up to 2000 individuals, particularly in Bulgaria and Greece. Maternal colonies of 30-400 individuals have been recorded in summer. Winter hibernating colonies of 100-500 individuals have been reported in Iran. They are known to share roosts with other species of Rhinolophus , Plecotus , Myotis , and Miniopterus in Europe and Asia.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Blasius’s Horseshoe Bat is considered relatively common throughout its wide distribution, but populations seem to be decreasing in Europe where it is considered one of the rarest horseshoe bats on the continent. It was found in north-eastern Italy but is now extinct there, and no records have been made in Slovenia in the past 50 years. Populations in the eastern Balkans seem to be stable unlike the Mediterranean populations that are declining. Major threats seem to be colony disturbances and general habitat and roost destruction.

Bibliography. ACR (2018), Ahmim & Moali (2013), Benda & Gaisler (2015), Benda, Abi-Said eta/. (2016), Benda, Andreas et al. (2006), Benda, Faizolâhi et al. (2012), Benda, Hanâk et al. (2007), Benda, Lucan et al. (2010), Cotterill (1996a), Csorba et al. (2003), Dietz, von Helversen & Nili (2009), Disca et al. (2014), Dulie (1967), Ellerman et al. (1953), indley & Black (1983), Happold, M. (2013q), Heller & von Helversen (1989), Jacobs et al. (2007), Jére et al. (2017), Jones & Siemers (2011), KryStufek (2008), Maree & Grant (1996), Monadjem (2005a), Monadjem, Reside & Lumsden (2007), Papadatou et al. (2008a), Paunovic & Stamenkovió (1998), Presetnik et al. (2014), Puechmaille, Hizem eta/. (2012), Roberts (1977), Siemers & Ivanova (2004), Siemers et al. (2005), Stoffberg et al. (2010), Taylor (2000, 2016f), Walters eta /. (2012), Whitaker & Black (1976).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Lander's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus landeri); 5. Guinean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus guineensis); 6. Blasius's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus blasii); 7. Peters's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus lobatus); 8. Swinny's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus swinnyi); 9. Cape Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus capensis); 10. Gorongosa Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus gorongosae); 11. Roberts's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus rhodesiae); 12. Bushveld Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus simulato/); 13. Dent's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus denti); 14. Cameroon Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus alticolus); 15. Mehely's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus mehelyi); 16. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus euryale); 17. Hildebrandt's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hildebrandtii); 18. Mount Mabu Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus mabuensis); 19. Cohen's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus cohenae); 20. Smithers's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus smithersi); 21. Mozambican Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus mossambicus); 22. Rüppell's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus fumigatus); 23. Eloquent Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus Bloquons).

Subspecies and Distribution. R b. blasii Peters, 1866 — SE Europe (from Croatia E to W Romania and Bulgaria and S to Greece and Crete I), SW Asia (W Anatolian Turkey , Cyprus , Syria , Lebanon , Israel , WJordan, S Armenia , S Azerbaijan , W Iran , and S Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Oman ), and NW Africa (N Morocco , N Algeria , and N Tunisia ); possibly also found in Egypt and Georgia , but his needs confirmation. R b. andreinii Senna, 1905 - W Eritrea , C & E Ethiopia , and NW Somalia . R b. empusa K. Andersen, 1904 - SE Africa in SE DR Congo , SE Tanzania , Zambia , Malawi , W Mozambique , Zimbabwe , E Botswana , E South Africa , and Swaziland . R b. meyeroehmif elten, 1977 - E Iran , S Turkmenistan , Afghanistan , and N Pakistan .