SEAVR 2023: 001‐002
ISSN: 2424‐8525
Date of publication: 02 January 2023
Hosted online by ecologyasia.com

First record of Diadem leaf‐nosed bat (Hipposideros diadema) (Chiroptera:Hipposideridae) in CALSANAG Forest Reserve, Tablas Island, Philippines
Juniel G. LUCIDOS & Ace Kevin S. AMARGAaJuniel_lucidos@yahoo.com (Lucidos), ace_amarga061@yahoo.com (Amarga)

Collaborators: Almaiza Marie Rodeo, Hannah Gan, Reymark Manoy, Gregorio Florendo, Jr., Raymond Inocencio,
Desamarie Antonette P. Fernandez.
Photograph by: Reymark Manoy.
Subject identified by: Juniel G. Lucidos, Ace Kevin Amarga.
Location: Tablas Island, Calatrava‐San Andres‐San Agustin (CALSANAG) Watershed Forest Reserve, Barangay
Balogo, Calatrava municipality, Romblon Province, Philippines.
Elevation: not recorded.
Habitat: Secondary lowland forest.
Date and time: 9‐12 March 2017. Specimen retrieved from mistnet at 06:00 hrs
Identity of subject:
Diadem leaf‐nosed bat, Hipposideros diadema (Geoffroy 1813), (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Hipposideridae).
Description of record:
A subadult male Hipposideros diadema was caught in a mistnet in secondary lowland forest in Barangay Balogo,Calatrava municipality. Upon retrieval the bat was identified, photographed, and released back to the wild
unharmed.

Fig. 1. Hipposideros diadema collected from Barangay Balogo, Calatrava municipality

1© Reymark Manoy

Remarks:
The Diadem leaf‐nosed bat (Hipposideros diadema) is a widespread hipposiderid native to the Oriental andAustralasian faunal regions (Monadjem et al. 2019). Aguilar and Waldien (2021) described the species as prevalentthroughout Southeast Asia, and gave a detailed summary of the countries/territories in which it occurs, andassessed the species as Least Concern.
In the Philippines, H. diadema is the largest member of the genus as well as the largest insectivorous bat species(Heaney et al. 2010). In terms of distribution, H. diadema has been recorded across the archipelago with the
exception of Batanes‐Babuyan island group (Ingle & Heaney 1992; Heaney et al. 2010).
In terms of habitat, H. diadema is usually cavernicolous (cave‐dwelling) (Tanalgo & Tabora 2015; Phelps et al. 2016)
but it can also occur in primary forests, secondary lowland forests, and agroforests (Francis 2019; Monadjem et al.
2019). Hipposideros diadema is primarily insectivorous but can occasionally shift to carnivory (Norberg et al. 1988).
References:
Aguilar, J., Waldien, D.L. (2021). Hipposideros diadema. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021:
e.T10128A22095445. Accessed 06 November 2022.
Francis, C.M. (2019). Field Guide to the Mammals of South‐East Asia 2nd edition. Bloomsbury Publishing, 416 pp.
Heaney, L.R., Dolar, M.L., Balete, D.S., Esseltyn, J.A., Rickart, E.A., and Sedlock, J.L. (2010) Synopsis of PhilippineMammals. Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA. Accessed 07 November 2022.
Ingle, N.R., Heaney, L.R. (1992) A key to the bats of the Philippine Islands. Fieldiana Zoology 69: 1‐144.
Monadjem, A., Soisook, P., Thong, V.D., Kingston, T. (2019). Family Hipposideridae (Old World leaf‐nosed bats). In:
Wilson, D.E. & Mittermeier, R.A. (eds.) Handbook of the Mammals of the World‐ volume 9 Bats. Lynx Edicions,
Barcelona, Spain, pp. 227‐258.
Norberg, U.M., Fenton, M., Pavey, C.R., Burwell, C.J. (1988). Carnivorous bats? The diet of the Diadem leaf‐nosed
bat Hipposideros diadema: confirmation of a morphologically‐based prediction of carnivory. Biological Journal ofthe Linnean Society 33: 383‐394.
Phelps, K., Jose, R., Labonite, M., Kingston, T. (2016). Correlates of cave‐roosting bat diversity as an effective tool toidentify priority caves. Biological Conservation 201: 201‐209.
Tanalgo, K.C., Tabora, J.A.G. (2015). Cave‐dwelling bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) and conservation concerns in South
Central Mindanao, Philippines. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(15): 8185‐8194.

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