Rhinolophus mcintyrei, Hill & Schlitter, 1982

Burgin, Connor, 2019, Rhinolophidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 280-332 : 317-318

77 . McIntyre’s Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus mcintyrei

French: Rhinolophe de McIntyre / German: Mclntyre-Hufeisennase / Spanish: Herradura de McIntyre

Taxonomy. Rhinolophus arcuatus mcintyrei Hill & Schütter, 1982 ,

“ 4 km ENE Telefomin, W[est] Sepik Province, Papuan New Guinea (05°06’S, 141°41’ E).”

Rhinolophus mcintyrei is placed within the euryotis group and appears to be sister to a clade that includes R. euryotis , R. tatar , R. arcuatus , and R. inops or. subrufus , based on mitochondrial data. It was originally described as a subspecies of R. arcuatus and has typically been treated thus, but following a recent genetic study by L. E. Patrick and colleagues in 2013, the taxon has been elevated to species status. Monotypic.

Distribution. WC & C Papua New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 48-64 mm, tail 16-23 mm, ear 15-22 mm, hindfoot 8-13 mm, forearm 47- 5-54 mm; weight 9-15 g. McIntyre’s Horseshoe Bat is generally similar to the Bornean Woolly Horseshoe Bat ( R.proconsulis ), the Poso Horseshoe Bat (. belligeratar), and the Arcuate Horseshoe Bat (. arcuatus ) but is separated by its more expanded intemarial region, shorter and wider sella, and more inflated anterior median rostral swellings. Dorsal pelage is slightly reddish brown or dark brown (hairs whitish at base), whereas ventral pelage is paler. Ears are moderately long. Noseleaf has straightsided lancet with a pointed tip; connecting process is arcuate, forming a semicircle; sella is broadly ovate and wide basally, being slightly narrower than intemarial cup for much of its length before tapering slightly toward rounded tip; horseshoe is relatively wide (8-7-9- 7 mm), nearly covers the muzzle, and has slight median emargination. Lower lip has three mental grooves. Skull is relatively slender; braincase is elongate and slightly inflated; interorbital region is abruptly narrowed; anterior median swellings are well developed and circular in outline; posterior swellings are less pronounced but still defined; rostral profile is distinctly concave in lateral view; sagittal crest is moderately developed; frontal depression is very shallow; supraorbital crests are slightly developed; canines are relatively slender and slightly curved (smaller and less massive than in the Bornean Woolly Horseshoe Bat). P2 is small and in the tooth row; P 3 is very small and completely extruded from the tooth row.

Habitat. Typically found in lowland and hill forest habitats, such as primary lowland alluvial and hill forests that exhibit complex four-layered canopies. Recorded at elevations of 270-1600m.

Food and Feeding. McIntyre’s Horseshoe Bat probably forages using a mixture of aerial-hawking and gleaning; it is a slow, maneuverable flier.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. McIntyre’s Horseshoe Bat is nocturnal and spends the day roosting in limestone caves and abandoned mines. Call shape is FM/CF/FM with a peak F recorded at 70—72 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. McIntyre’s Horseshoe Bats are known to roost in small groups of at least a dozen.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Although there is only limited information available on this species’ ecology and threats, McIntyre’s Horseshoe Bat is likely to be threatened by deforestation and other forms of human disturbance, which are common in the lowland forests it inhabits.

Bibliography. Bonaccorso (1998), Hill & Schütter (1982), Leary & Pennay (2011), Patrick & Ruedas (2017b), Patrick et al. (2013).

Figures

On following pages: 78. New Guinea Broad-eared Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus euryotis); 79. Sulawesi Broad-eared Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus tatah; 80. Poso Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus belligerator); 81. Bornean Woolly Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus proconsulis); 82. Arcuate Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus arcuatus); 83. Philippine Forest Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus inops); 84. Small Rufous Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus subrufus); 85. Large Rufous Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus rufus); 86. Intermediate Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus affinis); 87. Homfray's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus andamanensis); 88. Croslet Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus coelophyllus); 89. Shamel's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus shameli); 90. Vietnamese Brown Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus microglobosus); 91. Lesser Brown Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus stheno).

Distribution. WC & C Papua New Guinea .