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Lamotte's roundleaf bat (''Hipposideros lamottei'') is a species of bat found only at
Mount Nimba Mount Richard-Molard, also known as Mount Nimba, is a mountain along the border of Ivory Coast and Guinea in West Africa. The highest peak for both countries and the Nimba Range is at . The mountain is a part of the Guinea Highlands, which strad ...
on the border of
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, Guinea and
Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It ...
. It is critically endangered.


Taxonomy

It was described as a new species in 1984 by French zoologist André Brosset. He chose the
species name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...
''lamottei'' after Dr. Maxime Lamotte, who was also a French zoologist. Its status as a species has been called into question, and some suggested that it might be
synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
with
Noack's roundleaf bat Noack's roundleaf bat (''Hipposideros ruber'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is found throughout tropical Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and caves and other su ...
, ''Hipposideros ruber''. While its mitochondrial gene for
cytochrome b Cytochrome b within both molecular and cell biology, is a protein found in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells. It functions as part of the electron transport chain and is the main subunit of transmembrane cytochrome bc1 and b6f complexes. ...
may only differ from that of ''H. ruber'' by only 6%, a 2013 study found that it was morphologically distinct from it. Based on its morphology, it is in the ''caffer/ruber''
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 its genus. Other species in this complex include: *
Sundevall's roundleaf bat Sundevall's roundleaf bat (''Hipposideros caffer''), also called Sundevall's leaf-nosed bat, is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. These bats are very similar in appearance to the closely related Noack's roundleaf bat, and the two ha ...
, ''H. caffer'' *
Noack's roundleaf bat Noack's roundleaf bat (''Hipposideros ruber'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is found throughout tropical Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and caves and other su ...
, ''H. ruber'' *'' H. tephrus'' Based on genetic analysis, it has been hypothesized that Lamotte's roundleaf bat has only recently become isolated from Noack's roundleaf bat, evolving to become a high-altitude
specialist Specialist may refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), a military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist (arena football) * Specialist degree, in academia * Specialty (medicine) * Designated market maker, in the American stock market * ...
. Lamotte's roundleaf bat and other members of its species complex are members of the ''bicolor'' group of the genus ''Hipposideros''. Other members of the ''bicolor'' group include:


Description

It is a small bat with a
nose-leaf A nose-leaf, or leaf nose, is an often large, lance-shaped nose, found in bats of the Phyllostomidae, 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 s ...
. The nose-leaf has four small leaflets, two to either side. Its fur is brown, soft, and dense. Its ears are relatively short. Its
patagia 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, ...
are blackish-brown. Its forearm is approximately long, and its hind foot is long. Its tail is long. While many bats in the genus ''
Hipposideros ''Hipposideros'' is one of the most diverse genera of bats, with more than 70 species. They are collectively called roundleaf bats after the shape of their nasal ornament. It is the type genus of the family Hipposideridae The Hipposideridae ...
'' are similar in appearance, it can be differentiated by several characteristics: a forearm longer than ; large mastoid breadth; and small,
gracile Gracility is slenderness, the condition of being gracile, which means slender. It derives from the Latin adjective ''gracilis'' ( masculine or feminine), or ''gracile'' (neuter), which in either form means slender, and when transferred for exam ...
molars The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone to ...
. It detects prey using echolocation, calling at maximum frequencies of 119
kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one h ...
, with a range of 118–120 kHz.


Biology

During the day, it roosts in caves or mine shafts. It is known to share roosts with other species of bat, including
Noack's roundleaf bat Noack's roundleaf bat (''Hipposideros ruber'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is found throughout tropical Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and caves and other su ...
and the
Angolan rousette The Angolan fruit bat, Angolan rousette or Silky bat (''Myonycteris angolensis'') is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic ...
. Based on its small teeth and relatively slender skull, it is thought that they might prey on soft-bodied insects. The examination of a small colony in December found no juveniles and no pregnant females, meaning that reproduction occurs at another time in the year. Little else is known about their reproduction.


Range and habitat

It has only been recorded on
Mount Nimba Mount Richard-Molard, also known as Mount Nimba, is a mountain along the border of Ivory Coast and Guinea in West Africa. The highest peak for both countries and the Nimba Range is at . The mountain is a part of the Guinea Highlands, which strad ...
, which is situated on the border of
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, Guinea and
Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It ...
. This mountain range is notable for its bat diversity; its bat diversity is possibly the greatest of the entire continent of Africa. All captures of this species have been limited to the Guinean side of the mountain, however. It has been recorded in two sites on Mount Nimba: one a lowland
tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...
, the other an afromontane savanna. It has been recorded at elevations of above sea level. Four mine
adit An adit (from Latin ''aditus'', entrance) is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, ventilated, and minerals extracted at the lowest convenient level. Adits ...
s currently in use for roosts are greater than above sea level, however, while there is only one record of this species from a lower altitude. These more recent records suggest that it prefers the afromontane savanna, only occasionally traveling to the lowland rainforests.


Conservation

It is listed as a critically endangered species by the IUCN, as of 2020. It meets the criteria for this designation because its extent of occurrence is likely less than , its area of occupancy is likely less than , and all individuals live in a single location. Its population is thought to be in decline. It was first evaluated by the IUCN in 1996, when it was listed 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 necessarily ...
; it has been listed as critically endangered since 2004. Threats to this species include mining for iron ore, which can disturb or destroy their roosts. As of 2013, however, there were indications that mining would soon begin at the only sites where this species exists, posing an imminent threat to its existence. Its range is also subject to
habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
via
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban area, urban ...
. In this region, bats are also used as a food source, so this bat is likely killed for
bushmeat Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption, most often referring to the meat of game in Africa. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity for inhabitants of humid tro ...
. At least some of its range is encompassed by
Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is a protected area and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in both Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, extending over a total of area of 17,540 hectares, with 12,540 hectares in Guinea, and 5,000 hectares in Côte d'Ivoir ...
, which confers some protections, though these protections may not be strictly enforced. Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the
Alliance for Zero Extinction Formed in 2000 and launched globally in 2005, the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) comprises 100 non-governmental biodiversity conservation organizations working to prevent species extinctions by identifying and safeguarding sites where species ...
as a species in danger of imminent
extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds ( taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed ...
. In 2013,
Bat Conservation International Bat Conservation International (BCI) is an international nongovernmental organization working to conserve bats and their habitats through conservation, education, and research efforts. BCI was founded in 1982 by bat biologist Merlin Tuttle, w ...
listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation. Lamotte's roundleaf bat was specifically named in an article that argued against collecting
zoological specimen A zoological specimen is an animal or part of an animal preserved for scientific use. Various uses are: to verify the identity of a (species), to allow study, increase public knowledge of zoology. Zoological specimens are extremely diverse. Exampl ...
s from critically endangered bat species, or at least promoted more restrictions on who could collect specimens and how many individuals they could collect.


References


External links


An image of this species
{{Taxonbar, from=Q308983 Bats of Africa Hipposideros Bats as food Mammals described in 1984