Lander's horseshoe bat

Lander's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus landeri) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae found in Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, and caves.

Lander's horseshoe bat
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Rhinolophidae
Genus: Rhinolophus
Species:
R. landeri
Binomial name
Rhinolophus landeri
Martin, 1837
Lander's horseshoe bat range
Synonyms
  • Rhinolophus angolensis de Seabra, 1898
  • Rhinolophus dobsoni Thomas, 1904
  • Rhinolophus axillaris Allen, 1917

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1837 by English naturalist William Charles Linnaeus Martin. The eponym for the species name "landeri" was explorer Richard Lander. Martin named the species after Lander because the holotype had been collected during Lander's expedition to Fernando Pó. It was Martin's intention to posthumously honor Lander, calling him "enterprising, but unfortunate" after his untimely death at age 29.[2]

Description

It is a medium-sized member of its family. Individuals weigh 5–11 g (0.18–0.39 oz). Total length is approximately 75 mm (3.0 in); tail length is 23 mm (0.91 in) and forearm length is 38–41 mm (1.5–1.6 in).[3]

Range and habitat

It has been widely documented throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Individuals have been found at relatively high elevations—up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level on Kenya's Mount Elgon.[1]

Conservation

It is currently evaluated as least concern by the IUCN—its lowest conservation priority. It meets the criteria for this assessment because it has a wide geographic range; its population size is likely large; and it unlikely that it is in rapid decline.[1]

References
  1. Monadjem, A.; Taylor, P.J.; Jacobs, D.; Cotterill, F. (2017). "Rhinolophus landeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T19546A21977797. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T19546A21977797.en.
  2. Martin, W. "Description of a New Bat (rhinolophus landeri) from Fernando Po, and a new Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) from Trebizond". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 5: 101–102.
  3. Brown, Kevin M; Dunlop, Jenna (1997). "Rhinolophus landeri". Mammalian Species (567): 1–4. doi:10.2307/3504478. JSTOR 3504478.
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