Hipposideros lekaguli, Thonglongya & Hill, 1974

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Hipposideridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 227-258 : 242-243

45.

Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat

Hipposideros lekaguli

French: Phyllorhine de Lekagul / German: Lekagul-Rundblattnase / Spanish: Hiposidérido de Lekagul

Other common names: Large Asian Roundleaf Bat

Taxonomy. Hipposideros fefcagufö Thonglongya & Hill, 1974 ,

“Phu Nam Tok Tap Kwang, Kaeng Khoi, Saraburi, Thailand c. 14° 34’ N., 101° 09’ E.”

Hipposideros lekaguli is in the diadema species group. The population in the Philippines may prove to be, at least, a distinct subspecies; taxonomic revision is needed. Monotypic.

Distribution. S Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and Philippines (Luzon and Mindoro Is).

Descriptive notes. Forearm 64-79 mm. Mainland South-east Asian populations are larger (forearm 71-79 mm) than those ofPhilippines (forearm 64-72 mm). Ears ofthe Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat are large and broad, with a triangular tip. Noseleaf is large and complex——anterior leaf is large and almost covers muzzle; intermediate noseleaf is large and thickened, with distinct median projection; posterior leaf is trilobed and forms three large protruding pockets. Pelage on upperparts is grayish brown or grayish white; underparts are dull creamy white. Skull is robust, with rostral part inflated. Sagittal crest is poorly developed. C1 is large; P2 is small and slightly extruded from the tooth row. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 32 and FN = 60.

Habitat. Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bats forage in primary or disturbed forests and agricultural areas at low elevation, typically in gaps or over water bodies.

Food and Feeding. The Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat is an aerial-hawking bat, feeding on insects up in the air. Diet is mosdy composed of Coleoptera.

Breeding. Females were found pregnant in March-April, giving birth and then carrying young between May and June.

Activity patterns. Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bats roost in caves. Echolocation is a CF/FM type, with a call frequency of the F segment of45—46 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bats roost in colonies. Colony size ranges from a few individuals up to 500 individuals. This species shares caves with Black-bearded Tomb Bats (Taphozous melanopogon), Greater Asian False-vampires ( Lyroderma lyra), Lesser Dawn Bats ( Eonycteris spelaea), Horsfield’s Leafnosed Bats { H. larvatus ), and Pendlebury’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Ä pendleburyi ).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on 7%♂ IUCN Red List. The population size of the Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat has been decreasing during recent decades. The major threats are hunting, unregulated activities associated with tourism, limestone mining, and quarrying.

Bibliography. Balete eta/. (1995), Corbet & Hill (1992), Csorba, Bumrungsri, Francis, Bates, Gumal & Kingston (2008a), Francis (2008a), Heaney eta/. (1998), Simmons (2005).

Figures

24. Large-eared Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros megalotis), 25. Boeadi’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros boeadii), 26. Ha Long Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros alongensis), 27. Great Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros armiger), 28. Griffin’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros griffoni), 29. Pendlebury’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros pendleburyi), 30. Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros turpis), 31. Grand Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros grandis), 32. Horsfield’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros larvatus), 33. Maduran Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros madurae), 34. Sorensen’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros sorenseni), 35. Sumban Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros sumbae), 36. Shield-faced Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros lylei), 37. Pratt’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros pratti), 38. Shield-nosed Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros scutinares), 39. Makira Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros demissus), 40. Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros diadema), 41. Fierce Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros dinops), 42. Crested Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros inexpectatus), 43. Amhem Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros inomatus), 44. Indian Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros lankadiva), 45. Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros lekaguli), 46. Peleng Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros pelingensis)

Distribution. S Thailand , Peninsular Malaysia , and Philippines (Luzon and Mindoro Is).