The intermediate horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus affinis'') is a

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 ...

species of the family Rhinolophidae (“nose crest”) that is very widespread throughout much of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, southern and central China and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. It is listed by IUCN as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

as it is considered common where it occurs, without any known major threats.

Taxonomy

The intermediate horseshoe bat was described as a new species in 1823 by American naturalist

Thomas Horsfield Thomas Horsfield (May 12, 1773 – July 24, 1859) was an American physician and naturalist who worked extensively in Indonesia, describing numerous species of plants and animals from the region. He was later a curator of the East India Company ...

. 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 sever ...

was collected on the Indonesian island of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

. ''Rhinolophus affinis'' is divided into the following nine subspecies: * ''R. a. affinis'' * ''R. a. andamanensis'' * ''R. a. hainanus'' * ''R. a. himalayanus'' * ''R. a. macrurus'' * ''R. a. nesites'' * ''R. a. princes'' * ''R. a. superans'' * ''R. a. tener'' It varies in appearance and echolocation characteristics throughout its range, suggesting that this taxon may represent a

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

of closely related species.

Description

The intermediate horseshoe bat has a total length of , with a forearm length of . Individuals weigh approximately .

Distribution

The intermediate horseshoe bat is widely distributed throughout Asia, occurring from India and China throughout Southeast Asia. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. The easternmost extent of its range are the Indonesian Lesser Sunda Islands and

. It is found at elevations from above sea level.

References

External links

* *
Sound recordings of ''Rhinolophus affinis'' on BioAcoustica
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1765459 Rhinolophidae Bats of Asia Bats of Southeast Asia Bats of Indonesia Bats of Malaysia Mammals of Bangladesh Bats of China Mammals of India Mammals of Nepal Mammals of Bhutan Least concern biota of Asia Mammals described in 1823 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Thomas Horsfield Bats of India