Order : CHIROPTERA
Family : Rhinolophidae
Species : Rhinolophus lepidus refulgens
Forearm Length : up to 4.1 cm
Blyth's Horseshoe Bat, or
Glossy Horseshoe Bat, roosts in caves and houses near forest. In semi-urban
areas it is known to have adapted to roost in man-made tunnels and drain
This is a small bat
species with two colour phases - one reddish-brown, the other grey. In all
forms the fur is quite glossy, and the underparts are pale.
The noseleaf is elaborate and comprises a typically shaped anterior
horseshoe structure, a pointed bifurcated stella, and a high, pointed
Formerly Rhinolophus refulgens (Glossy Horseshoe Bat), was considered
a separate species to Rhinolophus lepidus (Blyth's Horseshoe Bat),
the latter ranging from the Indian Subcontinent and Burma to southern China
and northern Thailand. R. refulgens is now relegated to the
subspecies R. lepidus refulgens, which has a complimentary
geographical range from southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore
Fig 1 : Exiting a roost amongst granite boulders.
Fig 2 : A handsome reddish-brown specimen from
Fig 3 : Greyish colour phase, Singapore.
References : M3