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Horseshoe Bats
Rhinolophus
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 World leaf-nosed bats, family Hipposideridae, which have sometimes been included in Rhinolophidae. The horseshoe bats are divided into six subgenera and many species groups. The most recent common ancestor of all horseshoe bats lived 34–40 million years ago, though it is unclear where the geographic roots of the family are, and attempts to determine its biogeography have been indecisive. Their taxonomy is complex, as genetic evidence shows the likely existence of many cryptic species, as well as species recognized as distinct that may have little genetic divergence from previously recognized taxa. They are found in the Old World, mostly in tropical or subtropical areas, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
Horseshoe bats are considered small or medium-sized microbats, weighing 4–28 g (0.14–0.99 oz), with forearm lengths of 30–75 mm (1.2–3.0 in) and combined lengths of head and body of 35–110 mm (1.4–4.3 in). The fur, long and smooth in most species, can be reddish-brown, blackish, or bright orange-red. They get their common name from their large nose-leafs, which are shaped like horseshoes. The nose-leafs aid in echolocation; horseshoe bats have highly sophisticated echolocation, using constant frequency calls at high-duty cycles to detect prey in areas of high environmental clutters.
60 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 114 known species
Lesser Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus hipposideros
Greater Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus ferrumequinum
Formosan Lesser Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus monoceros
Eastern Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus megaphyllus
Mediterranean horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus euryale
Formosan Woolly Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus formosae
Intermediate Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus affinis
Trefoil Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus trifoliatus
Japanese greater horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus nippon
Chinese Rufous Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus sinicus
Woolly Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus luctus
Least Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus pusillus
acuminate horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus acuminatus
Rufous Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus rouxii
Pearson's Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus pearsonii
Geoffroy's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus clivosus
Beddome's Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus beddomei
Blyth's Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus lepidus
croslet horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus coelophyllus
Creagh's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus creaghi
Blasius's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus blasii
Lesser Woolly Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus sedulus
Northern Woolly Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus perniger
Malayan horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus malayanus
Little Japanese Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus cornutus
Lander's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus landeri
Halcyon horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus alcyone
Indochinese Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus chaseni
Queensland Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus achilles
Cape horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus capensis
Hildebrandt's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus hildebrandtii
Thailand Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus thailandensis
Large-eared Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus philippinensis
Sulawesi horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus celebensis
insular horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus keyensis
Rüppell's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus fumigatus
Bornean horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus borneensis
Mehely's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus mehelyi
Thomas's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus thomasi
Bushveld horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus simulator
big-eared horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus macrotis
Glossy Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus refulgens
Decken's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus deckenii
Indo-Chinese Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus microglobosus
Shamel's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus shameli
broad-eared horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus euryotis
lesser brown horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus stheno
Darling's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus darlingi
Malaysian Woolly Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus morio
Ruwenzori horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus ruwenzorii
Canut's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus canuti
Okinawa Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus pumilus
arcuate horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus arcuatus
Francis's Woolly Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus francisi
Mozambican horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus mossambicus
Guinean horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus guineensis
Dent's horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus denti
Maclaud's Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus maclaudi
Tatar Horseshoe Bat
speciesRhinolophus tatar
Ziama horseshoe bat
speciesRhinolophus ziama
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
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Every page naming Rhinolophus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 40642.