Biak roundleaf bat explained

The Biak roundleaf bat or Geelvinck Bay leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros papua) is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is endemic to the Biak Islands (Schouten Islands) and Cenderawasih Bay (Geelvinck Bay) area of Papua Province, located in Western New Guinea, Indonesia.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1886 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas and Italian naturalist Giacomo Doria. They initially placed it in the now-defunct genus Phyllorhina, with the scientific name Phyllorhina papua. Its species name "papua" references Papua New Guinea where Odoardo Beccari collected the holotype.[1]

Description

It has a forearm length of approximately . It has a nose-leaf with two lateral leaflets.[2]

It is nocturnal, roosting in sheltered places during the day such as caves.

Range and status

It is endemic to Indonesia. Its range encompasses several islands of Indonesia, including Halmahera, Bacan, Gebe, Biak, Supiori, Numfoor, and Vogelkop Peninsula of New Guinea.

As of 2021, it was evaluated as least concern by the IUCN - its lowest conservation priority.

Notes and References

  1. Thomas. O.. Doria. G.. 1886. Note intoruo ad alcuni Chirotteri appartenenti al Museo Civico di Genova e descrizione di due nuove specie del genere Phyllorhina. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova. 2. 24. 204–206.
  2. Tate. G. H. H.. 1941. A review of the genus Hipposideros with special reference to Indo-Australian species. Bulletin of the AMNH. 78. 37. 2246/1780.