Sumba roundleaf bat explained

The Sumba roundleaf bat (Hipposideros sumbae) is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It lives in Indonesia and East Timor.^[1] It is present on the islands of Sumba, Rote, Sumbawa, Flores, Semau, and Savu.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was initially described as a subspecies of the intermediate roundleaf bat (Hipposideros larvatus) in 1960 by Oei Hong Peng.^{[2] [3]} Its species name "sumbae" is derived from Sumba Island where the holotype was found.^[3] As the genus Hipposideros is speciose, it is divided into closely related species groups - the Sumba roundleaf bat is in the larvatus species group.^[4]

Biology

It is nocturnal, roosting in sheltered places such as caves and houses during the day. It likely roosts in large colonies. It is insectivorous.

Conservation

It is currently evaluated as least concern by the IUCN. It is locally common and it tolerates human modification of the landscape, as evinced by it roosting in houses sometimes. It may be declining due to the mining of limestone from its caves.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Report of Findings on the Proposed Iralalaro Hydro-ElectricPower Scheme, Timor-Leste. pdf; 3,2 MB. 9 August 2013. Haburas Foundation and the Australian Conservation Foundation.
2. Oei Hong Peng. Notes on bats from Bali, Lombok and Sumba. Hermera Zoa . 67. 28. 23–32. 1960.
3. Kitchener. D. J.. Maryanto. I.. 1993. Taxonomic reappraisal of the Hipposideros larvatus species complex (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) in the Greater and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Records of the Western Australian Museum. 16. 2. 119–173.
4. 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.021. 22079552. Molecular phylogeny of hipposiderid bats from Southeast Asia and evidence of cryptic diversity. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62. 2. 597–611. 2012. Murray. Susan W. Campbell. Polly. Kingston. Tigga. Zubaid. Akbar. Francis. Charles M. Kunz. Thomas H.