Rhinonicteris aurantia — Details

Geographic Range

This species is found in northern and northwestern Australia.

Biogeographic Regions: australian (Native ); arctic ocean (Native )

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Physical Description

Morphology

Physical Description

The golden horseshoe bat typically has bright orange pelage, but regional variants occur. The head and body length of this bat averages 50mm, with an average tail length of 25mm. The species is sexually dimorphic in size, with females weighing significantly less than males (females average 7.6g, whereas males average 8.4 g).

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Ecology

Habitat

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology

This species roosts in caves and old mine workings in colonies of 20 to 20,000 individuals (Churchill et al. 2008). Dry season roosts are normally in caves. In the wet season, bats disperse and use a diversity of roosts including caves, under buildings, and also probably in tree hollows (B. Thomson pers. comm.). The species likes very humid caves (N. McKenzie pers. comm.). It forages in nearby open woodland. Females give birth to a single young.

Systems

Terrestrial

Source: IUCN

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Habitat

This species is very selective in choosing hot, humid roosting sites. Roosts have been reported to be 30-32 C with 90-100% relative humidity. Golden horseshoe bats forage in open woodlands near their roosting caves.

Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest

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Trophic Strategy

Food Habits

The golden horseshoe bat is insectivorous. These animals emerge from their roosting sites 0.5 to1.5 hours after sunset. They forage for insect prey while flying one to three meters above the vegetation. Primary prey items of this species include moths and beetles, but shield bugs, parasitic wasps, ants and weevils are also eaten.

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Life History and Behavior

Reproduction

Little is known about the reproductive cycle of the golden horseshoe bat. The animal is thought to breed during the wet season, which in Northern Australia is from October through April.

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Conservation

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List Assessment

Red List Category

Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version

3.1

Year Assessed

2008

Assessor/s

McKenzie, N. & Hall, L.

Reviewer/s

Lamoreux, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team), Racey, P.A., Medellín, R. & Hutson, A.M. (Chiroptera Red List Authority)

Contributor/s

Justification

This species is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a threatened category.

History

1996

Vulnerable

(Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1994

Insufficiently Known

(Groombridge 1994)
1990

Insufficiently Known

(IUCN 1990)
1988

Insufficiently Known

(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)

Source: IUCN

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Conservation Status

There is insufficient knowledge of this species to accurately determine its status. Rhinonicteris aurantia is the only species in the genus, and it has a limited geographic distribution. Its status has been described as sparse. There is an annecdotal account of an attempt to preserve roosting habitat. One colony of about 5000 bats was heavily visited by tourists. Conservationists, fearing the fate of bats so frequently disturbed by humans, placed a mesh screen over the opening to the cave in order to keep tourists out while allowing the bats free access to and from the cave. Unfortunately, the plan did not work. The bat population decreased drastically after the mesh screen was erected. It has since been removed, and the bat colony has stabilized at about 2000 individuals.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

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Trends

Population

Population

This species is rare and scattered within its habitat, but is locally common in Top End (Churchill et al. 2008).

Population Trend

Unknown

Source: IUCN

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Threats

Major Threats

This species is very sensitive to cave disturbance due to visitation (B. Thomson pers. comm.). Large numbers have been killed by inappropriate cave gating in the past. Mine collapse is a major threat to old mines, at least in the Pilbara and Northern Territory regions (N. McKenzie and G. Richards pers. comm.). Mining is also threatening some natural roosts (N. McKenzie pers. comm.).

Source: IUCN

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Management

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions

It is present in the Barlee Range Nature Reserve and other protected areas. Further studies are needed into the distribution, abundance, natural history, and threats to this species.

Source: IUCN

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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems

Benefits

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

May help to control the populations of harmful insects.

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Wikipedia

Orange Leaf-nosed Bat

The Orange Leaf-nosed Bat, Rhinonicteris aurantia, is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is the only living species in the genus Rhinonicteris.^{[citation needed]} It is endemic to Australia.

References

Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. Rhinonicteris aurantia. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 30 July 2007.
Simmons, N.B. 2005. Order Chiroptera. Pp. 312–529 in Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0

v d e Extant species of family Hipposideridae

Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Mammalia · Infraclass: Eutheria · Superorder: Laurasiatheria · Order: Chiroptera

Anthops	Flower-faced Bat (A. ornatus)

Asellia	Patrizi's Trident Leaf-nosed Bat (A. patrizii) · Trident Bat (A. tridens)

Aselliscus (Tate's trident- nosed bats)	Stoliczka's Trident Bat (A. stoliczkanus) · Temminck's Trident Bat (A. tricuspidatus)

Cloeotis	Percival's Trident Bat (C. percivali)

Coelops	East Asian Tailless Leaf-nosed Bat (C. frithii) · Philippine Tailless Leaf-nosed Bat (C. hirsutus) · Malayan Tailless Leaf-nosed Bat (C. robinsoni)

Hipposideros (Round leaf bats)	Aba Roundleaf Bat (H. abae) · Great Roundleaf Bat (H. armiger) · Dusky Leaf-nosed Bat (H. ater) · Benito Roundleaf Bat (H. beatus) · Bicolored Roundleaf Bat (H. bicolor) · Boeadi’s Roundleaf Bat (H. boeadii) · Short-headed Roundleaf Bat (H. breviceps) · Sundevall's Roundleaf Bat (H. caffer) · Spurred Roundleaf Bat (H. calcaratus) · Greater Roundleaf Bat (H. camerunensis) · Fawn Leaf-nosed Bat (H. cervinus) · Ashy Roundleaf Bat (H. cineraceus) · Commerson's Roundleaf Bat (H. commersoni) · Large Mindanao Roundleaf Bat (H. coronatus) · Telefomin Roundleaf Bat (H. corynophyllus) · Cox's Roundleaf Bat (H. coxi) · Timor Roundleaf Bat (H. crumeniferus) · Short-tailed Roundleaf Bat (H. curtus) · Cyclops Roundleaf Bat (H. cyclops) · Makira Roundleaf Bat (H. demissus) · Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat (H. diadema) · Fierce Roundleaf Bat (H. dinops) · Borneo Roundleaf Bat (H. doriae) · Khajuria's Leaf-nosed Bat (H. durgadasi) · Dayak Roundleaf Bat (H. dyacorum) · Hill's Roundleaf Bat (H. edwardshilli) · H. fasensis · Sooty Roundleaf Bat (H. fuliginosus) · Fulvus Roundleaf Bat (H. fulvus) · Cantor's Roundleaf Bat (H. galeritus) · Giant Roundleaf Bat (H. gigas) · Grand Roundleaf Bat (H. grandis) · Thailand Roundleaf Bat (H. halophyllus) · Kolar Leaf-nosed Bat (H. hypophyllus) · Crested Roundleaf Bat (H. inexpectatus) · Arnhem Leaf-nosed Bat (H. inornatus) · Jones's Roundleaf Bat (H. jonesi) · Phou Khao Khouay Leaf-nosed Bat (H. khaokhouayensis) · Khasian Leaf-nosed Bat (H. khasiana) · Lamotte's Roundleaf Bat (H. lamottei) · Indian Roundleaf Bat (H. lankadiva) · Intermediate Roundleaf Bat (H. larvatus) · Large Asian Roundleaf Bat (H. lekaguli) · Shield-faced Roundleaf Bat (H. lylei) · Big-eared Roundleaf Bat (H. macrobullatus) · Maduran Leaf-nosed Bat (H. madurae) · Maggie Taylor's Roundleaf Bat (H. maggietaylorae) · Aellen's Roundleaf Bat (H. marisae) · Ethiopian Large-eared Roundleaf Bat (H. megalotis) · Fly River Roundleaf Bat (H. muscinus) · Malayan Roundleaf Bat (H. nequam) · Philippine Forest Roundleaf Bat (H. obscurus) · Orbiculus Leaf-nosed Bat (H. orbiculus) · Biak Roundleaf Bat (H. papua) · H. parnabyi · Peleng Leaf-nosed Bat (H. pelingensis) · Pomona Roundleaf Bat (H. pomona) · Pratt's Roundleaf Bat (H. pratti) · Philippine Pygmy Roundleaf Bat (H. pygmaeus) · Ridley's Leaf-nosed Bat (H. ridleyi) · Laotian Leaf-nosed Bat (H. rotalis) · Noack's Roundleaf Bat (H. ruber) · H. scutinares · Semon's Leaf-nosed Bat (H. semoni) · Sorensen's Leaf-nosed Bat (H. sorenseni) · Schneider's Leaf-nosed Bat (H. speoris) · Northern Leaf-nosed Bat (H. stenotis) · Sumban Leaf-nosed Bat (H. sumbae) · H. tephrus · Saõ Tomé Leaf-nosed Bat (H. thomensis) · Lesser Great Leaf-nosed Bat (H. turpis) · Striped Leaf-nosed Bat (H. vittatus) · Wollaston's Roundleaf Bat (H. wollastoni)

Paracoelops	Vietnam Leaf-nosed Bat (P. megalotis)

Rhinonicteris	*Orange Leaf-nosed Bat (R. aurantia)*

Paratriaenops	Grandidier's Trident Bat (P. auritus) · Trouessart's Trident Bat (P. furculus) · Paulian's Triple Leaf-nosed Bat (P. pauliani)

Triaenops (Triple leaf- nosed bats)	T. afer · T. menamena · T. parvus · Persian Trident Bat (T. persicus)

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