Rhinolophus
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see separate list of Rhinolophus species |
The horseshoe bats of the Rhinolophus genus comprise approximately 69 distinct species. This is the largest group within the Rhinolophidae family of bats, though they show very little in the way of ecological diversity and are very much a variation on the same theme.
Their common name comes from the large horseshoe-shaped nose leaf used for directing their ultrasound.
They have very broad, rounded wings and very fluttery flight patterns, the "archetypal flying bat". They occur over a wide range of temperate to tropical woodland and open habitat where they catch insects in mid flight and also glean insects and spiders from foliage while hovering in front of their prey.
They are thought to represent very closely the ancestral form of the "microbat" group and so are considered among the more primitive of the whole Microchiroptera.
In September 2005, four Rhinolophus species (R. sinicus, R. ferrumequinum, R. macrotis, R. pearsoni) were identified as natural reservoirs of SARS coronavirus-like viruses, the causative agent of SARS outbreaks in 2002-2004 (Li et al, 2005; Lau et al, 2005).
See list of Rhinolophus species
[edit] References
- Li, W, Zhengli, S, Meng, Y et al . (2005). Bats are natural reservoirs of SARS-like coronaviruses. Science 310 (5748):676–679.
- Lau, S, Woo, P, Li, K et al . (2005). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-like virus in Chinese horseshoe bats. PNAS 102 (39):14040–14045.
[edit] References in Borneo
Abdullah MT. 2003. Biogeography and variation of Cynopterus brachyotis in Southeast Asia. PhD thesis. The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
Corbet, GB, Hill JE. 1992. The mammals of the Indomalayan region: a systematic review. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Hall LS, Gordon G. Grigg, Craig Moritz, Besar Ketol, Isa Sait, Wahab Marni and M.T. Abdullah. 2004. Biogeography of fruit bats in Southeast Asia. Sarawak Museum Journal LX(81):191-284.
Karim, C., A.A. Tuen and M.T. Abdullah. 2004. Mammals. Sarawak Museum Journal Special Issue No. 6. 80: 221—234.
Mohd. Azlan J., Ibnu Maryanto , Agus P. Kartono and M.T. Abdullah. 2003 Diversity, Relative Abundance and Conservation of Chiropterans in Kayan Mentarang National Park, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Sarawak Museum Journal 79: 251-265.
Hall LS, Richards GC, Abdullah MT. 2002. The bats of Niah National Park, Sarawak. Sarawak Museum Journal. 78: 255-282.
Wilson DE, Reeder DM. 2005. Mammal species of the world. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC.
