The Makira roundleaf bat (''Hipposideros demissus'') is a species of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

in the family

Hipposideridae The Hipposideridae are a family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often been seen as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae, of the family Rhinolophidae, it is now more generally classified as its own family.Simmons, 20 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

Taxonomy

The Makira roundleaf bat was described as a new species in 1909 by Danish mammalogist Knud Andersen. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

had been collected by English naturalist

Albert Stewart Meek Albert Stewart Meek (26 October 1871 – 1 October 1943) was an English bird collector and naturalist. Biography Meek was born on 26 October 1871 in Bow, London, the son of a merchant in natural history. In 1893 he travelled to Australia and ...

in 1908. In the past, it has been considered a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

diadem leaf-nosed bat The diadem leaf-nosed bat or diadem roundleaf bat (''Hipposideros diadema'') is one of the most widespread species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is probably most closely related to '' Hipposideros demissus'' from Makira and to '' Hippo ...

(''H. diadema''), though is largely considered a full species as of 2019.

Description

Individuals have a forearm length of approximately . The fur of its back is dark brown, with individual hairs tricolored: hairs are dark brown at the base, light- or whitish-brown in the middle, and dark brown again at the tips. There are two stripes of lighter fur on its back, running along the flight membranes. Its belly fur is more drab in color.

Range and habitat

The Makira roundleaf bat is

to the island of Makira, which is part of the

. Its roosting habitat includes

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s and other subterranean areas.

Conservation

It is considered endangered by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. It meets the criteria for this designation because it is known from fewer than five locations on a single island. The island regularly experiences disturbances such as

cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...

s, which could negatively impact this species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1760888 Hipposideros Bats of Oceania Endemic fauna of the Solomon Islands Mammals of the Solomon Islands Vulnerable fauna of Oceania Mammals described in 1909 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Knud Andersen