Rhinolophus deckenii Peters 1868
Creators: name: Burgin, Connor
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Rhinolophidae
Rhinolophus
Rhinolophus deckenii

description: 26. Decken’s Horseshoe <b>Bat</b> <i>Rhinolophus deckenii</i> French: Rhinolophe <i>de Decken</i> / <b>German:</b> <i>Decken-Hufeisennase</i> / <b>Spanish:</b> Herradura de <i>Decken</i> <b>Other common names:</b> <i>Eastern Africa</i> Horseshoe Bat <b>Taxonomy.</b> <i>Rhinolophus deckenii</i> Peters, 1868, “ Zanzibarküste [= Zanzibar Coast, mainland opposite Zanzibar Island],” Tanzania. <i>Rhinolophus deckenii</i> is <b>in</b> the <i>ferrumequinum</i> species group. It is very similar to <i>R silvestris,</i> and the two species might be conspecific. It was formerly considered a subspecies of <i>R clivosus</i> but is now generally regarded as a distinct species. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> W Uganda, W &amp; SE Kenya, W Tanzania, including Zanzibar Archipelago (Pemba, Unguja, and Mafia Is), and apparently C Mozambique (Chinizuia Forest). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body c. 51-67 mm, tail 25-33 mm, ear 18-27 mm, hindfoot 11—13 mm, forearm 48—56 mm. Decken’s Horseshoe Bat is very similar to the African Forest Horseshoe Bat (<i>AE Silvestris')</i> but with lower nasal swellings and baculum with flattened, spatulated shaft. Dorsal pelage is medium grayish brown (hairs are grayish fawn, with medium grayish brown tips); venter is slightly paler. No orange morph is known. Males lack <i>axillary</i> tufts. Ears are medium short in length (39-49% of forearm length). Noseleaf has subtriangular high lancet, with straight to slighdy concave sides and bluntly pointed tip; connecting process is rounded and subequal to height ofsella; sella is naked, with either parallel or slightly concave sides and broad, rounded tip; and horseshoe is medium in width at 9-1-11- 5 mm, covers entire muzzle, and has lateral leaflets and distinct median emargination. Lower lip has three grooves: middle groove is well defined, and outer two are <i>poorly</i> formed. <i>Wings</i> and uropatagium are brown and semi-translucent. Skull is robust, with sturdy zygomatic arches (zygomatic width is much larger than mastoid width); nasal swellings are medium in relative height and have smoothly rounded lateral profile; frontal depression is moderately deep, with prominent supraorbital ridges; sagittal crest is well developed anteriorly and absent <i>posteriorly</i>; and interpterygoid groove is shallow but conspicuous. P2 is tiny and completely displaced labially (although <i>occasionally</i> half displaced) or absent; C1 and P4 are <i>usually</i> separated by a narrow gap; and P3 absent, allowing P2 and P4 to touch. Dental formula is 11/2, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (<i>x</i> 2) = 30 or 11/2, C 1/1, P 1/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 28. Habitat. Small forest mosaics in coastal regions but also inland <i>dry</i> miombo woodlands at elevations of c. 650 m. Decken’s Horseshoe Bats have been recorded in Afromontane habitats on Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> No information. Breeding. Pregnant Decken’s Horseshoe Bats have been captured in August, October, and November. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Day roosts of Decken’s Horseshoe Bats have been recorded in caverns and deep caves in coral/rock areas on Unguja Island and old man-made structures, including mud houses on Pemba Island. <b>Movements, Home range and Social</b> organization. Decken’s Horseshoe Bats occur in small colonies of less than 20 individuals. <i>They</i> have been recorded roosting with Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bats <i>{</i> Hipposideros <i>caffer),</i> Large-eared Slit-faced Bats <i>{Nycteris macrotis),</i> and Egyptian Slit-faced Bats <i>{N. thebaicd).</i> <b>Status and</b> Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on <i>The</i> IUCN <i>ed List.</i> Decken’s Horseshoe Bat is threatened by logging and agricultural expansion throughout its distribution, particularly in coastal areas. <b>Bibliography.</b> ACR (2018), Csorba et al. (2003), Happold, M. (2013r), <i>Jacobs et</i> al. (2008c), Monadjem, Schoeman et al. (2010), O'Brien (2011), Stanley &amp; Goodman (2011), Stanley et al. (2005),Trentin &amp; <i>Rovere</i> (2011).
description: Published as part of <i>Burgin, Connor, 2019, Rhinolophidae, pp. 280-332 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on pages 293-294, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3748525