The Mount Mabu horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus mabuensis'') is a species of

horseshoe bat Horseshoe bats are bats in the family Rhinolophidae. In addition to the single living genus, ''Rhinolophus'', which has about 106 species, the extinct genus '' Palaeonycteris'' has been recognized. Horseshoe bats are closely related to the Old ...

that 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 ...

to the Southeast African nation of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Taxonomy

The Mount Mabu horseshoe bat was described as a new species in 2012 following analysis of the

Hildebrandt's horseshoe bat Hildebrandt's horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus hildebrandtii'') is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae found in Africa. Its natural habitats are savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosy ...

species complex. Hildebrandt's horseshoe bat was shown via genetic,

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

, and acoustic analysis to actually be five species: four new species were segregated. In addition to the Mount Mabu horseshoe bat, researchers additionally described

Cohen's horseshoe bat Cohen's horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus cohenae'') is a species of bat belonging to the family Rhinolophidae, endemic to South Africa. It was first described in 2012. The species was named after Lientjie Cohen who collected the type specimen in 2004 ...

(''R. cohenae''),

Smithers's horseshoe bat Smithers's horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus smithersi'') is a species of horseshoe bat found in South Africa and Zimbabwe. It was described as a new species in 2012. Taxonomy and etymology Smithers's horseshoe bat was described as a new species in 2 ...

(''R. smithersi''), and the

Mozambican horseshoe bat The Mozambican horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus mossambicus'') is a species of horseshoe bat found in Africa. Taxonomy It was described as a new species in 2012. The holotype had been collected by A. Monadjem in July 2006 at Niassa Reserve in Moza ...

(''R. mossambicus''). 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 ...

for the Mount Mabu horseshoe bat had been collected on

Mount Mabu Mount Mabu is a mountain in northern Mozambique, famous for its old-growth rain forest. Mount Mabu is approximately high and the forest covers about . While well known locally, the Mount Mabu forest and its extremely diverse wildlife were unkn ...

in October 2008.

Range and habitat

As of 2019, the species has only been documented at two sites in northern

: Mount Mabu and Mount Inago. All specimens collected as of 2012 were found in

montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

or submontane forests.

Conservation

As of 2019, it is evaluated as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

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 ...

. The IUCN referred to the loss and degradation of its forest habitats as "alarming".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3934094 Mammals described in 2012 Bats of Africa Rhinolophidae Endemic fauna of Mozambique