''Rhinolophus chutamasae'' or the mountain horseshoe bat 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 found from Greater Mekong in

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 United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Taxonomy

''Rhinolophus chutamasae'' was initially described with the name ''Rhinolophus monticolus''. However, this name was judged a junior homonym of an older name, ''Rhinolophus monticola'' ( Andersen, 1905), as ''monticola'' and ''monticolus'' are sufficiently similar. ''Rhinolophus monticola'' was described in 1905, and thus has priority over the species name. Therefore, a

replacement name In biological nomenclature, a ''nomen novum'' (Latin for "new name"), new replacement name (or replacement name, new substitute name, substitute name) is a scientific name that is created specifically to replace another scientific name, but only w ...

was chosen for ''R. monticolus'': ''Rhinolophus chutamasae''.

Description

Small bat, with the length of the head and body between 42.3 and 48.5 mm, the length of the forearm between 41.2 and 44.1 mm, the length of the tail between 19.7 and 25.6 mm, the length of the foot between 7.4 and 8.6 mm, the length of the ears between 15.5 and 48.5 mm. The backbone parts are dark brown, while the ventral parts are lighter. The base of the hair is complete white. The nasal leaf is brown and has a high lancet, with a blunt tip and concave margins, a relatively long connective process, pointed and projected forward, the wide saddle, with parallel edges and the square end. In some individuals the nasal leaf is coated with a layer of orange liquid with an unknown function. The lower lip has three longitudinal furrows. The tail is long and completely included in the wide

uropatagium The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, birds, some dromaeosaurs, ...

. The second lower premolar is very small and rounded.

Distribution and habitat

This species is widespread in central-western and northern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and northern

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

. It lives in the mountain evergreen forests between 620 and 1.320 meters of altitude.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q24664027 Rhinolophidae Mammals described in 2022 Bats of Southeast Asia