85. Large Rufous Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus rufus

French: Rhinolophe d'Eydoux / German: Grosse Rotbraune Hufeisennase / Spanish: Herradura rufo grande

Taxonomy. Rhinolophus luctus var. rufa [sic] Eydoux & P. Gervais in Laplace, 1839,

“ Manille [= Manila],” Luzon, Philippines.

Rhinolophus rufus is included in the euryotis species group, but its relationships within the group are unclear; further studies are needed. It may be closely related to /?. subrufus and R inops. Monotypic.

Distribution. Philippines (Luzon, Polillo, Mindoro, Marinduque, Catanduanes, Guimaras, Bohol, Leyte, Camiguin, and Mindanao Is).

Descriptive notes. Head—body c. 80-97 mm, tail 30-33 mm, ear 33-37 mm, hindfoot 15- 4-21 mm, forearm 68-73 mm; weight 26-34 g. The Large Rufous Horseshoe Bat is a very large species of horseshoe bat, the largest in the Philippines. Dorsal and ventral pelage is typically dark to medium brown, occasionally with red or orange tint. Ears are medium-sized. Noseleaf has moderately long, straight-sided lancet; connecting process is strongly arcuate, and is semicircular; sella has parallel margins or is slightly but gradually narrowed upward, and has widely rounded tip and scarcely expanded base; horseshoe is relatively wide, covering muzzle almost to upper lip, and has lateral leaflets and narrow but deep median emargination. There are three mental grooves on lower lip. Skull is enormous and very robust (zygomatic breadth is much wider than mastoid breadth); anterior median swellings are large and project strongly; anterior lateral and posterior swellings are less developed; sagittal crest is high to very high; supraorbital ridges are very conspicuous; frontal depression is deep. C1 is strong and moderately long; P2 is small and within tooth row; P3 is very small and partly or completely extruded from tooth row; P, and P, are separated by a small space or barely touch. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 40 and FN = 60 (Catanduanes I).

Habitat. Recorded from primary and secondary lowland forest, often in association with fairly large, deep caves. The Large Rufous Horseshoe Bat is generally a lowland species, being found at elevations from sea level up to 350 m on Luzon, and up to 600 m elsewhere.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Females give birth to a single young.

Activity patterns. Large Rufous Horseshoe Bats roost in caves by day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on 77 rc IUCN ed List. The Large Rufous Horseshoe Bat is relatively uncommon through its distribution, although it is locally common on Bohol and Polillo. The overall available habitat for this species is declining throughout its distribution due to deforestation. The species is also threatened by roost disturbance from tourism and guano mining. It is also collected for food in some areas: fires are lit in the cave to asphyxiate the bats, which are then collected.

Bibliography. Cabauatan et al. (2014), Heaney, Balete, Dolar et al. (1998), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Heaney, Gonzales et al. (1991), Ong, Rosell-Ambal, Tabaranza & Heaney (2008), Rickart et al. (1999).