Adam's horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus adami'') 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 Rhinolophidae. It is

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 ...

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

. It roosts in caves.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1968. 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 ...

used to describe the species was collected by J. P. Adam, who is likely the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

for the species name "''adami''." The genus '' Rhinolophus'', of which the Adam's horseshoe bat is a member, is divided into species groups, as it is quite speciose. The Adam's horseshoe bat is the identifier of one of these groups, the ''adami'' group. The only other member of the ''adami'' group is the Maendeleo horseshoe bat.

Description

Its forearm length is . Its ears are relatively long, at . It has a large nose-leaf, at long and wide.

Biology and ecology

It is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, roosting in sheltered places during the day such as caves. It has only been observed in a single cave in the

Kouilou Department Kouilou ( kg, Kwilu, Kuilu ) is a department of the Republic of the Congo. Covering the country's coastline, it has an area of 13,650 square kilometres and at the start of 2007 it was home to about 91,955 people. The department borders Niar ...

of the

. It is currently evaluated as

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

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 ...

. As of 2019, the species had not been observed since the series of ten individuals used to describe the species in 1968.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1762056 Rhinolophidae Fauna of the Republic of the Congo Endemic fauna of the Republic of the Congo Mammals described in 1968 Bats of Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic