Gray, 1831
Leaf-nosed bats
The Leaf-nosed bats are a large family of small insect-eating bats which are closely allied to the Rhinolophidae and are considered by some authors to be a subfamily (Hipposiderinae) of that group (Koopman, 1993). However the noseleaf has a different form (Har1). It consists of a horizontal horseshoe, often with accessory folioles; an intermediate leaf (which is not always clearly differentiated in some genera, for example Triaenops ) and a posterior leaf. The sella and the connecting process of the Rhinolophidae (Har2) are absent; the posterior leaf of the Hipposideridae corresponds to the lancet of the Rhinolophidae. In general, the posterior leaf is simple in the principal genus Hipposideros and more complex in other genera such as Asellia . In Asellia , the top edge of the posterior leaf is divided into three small upstanding points; the posterior leaf of Triaenops is also ornate (Fig. 109). The Hipposideridae are a widespread Old World family with a range that extends from Africa to Australia and the New Hebrides. They tend to roost in caves and tunnels. Some species are very gregarious and live in large colonies; others are more solitary and roost in small family groups or alone. The earliest Leaf-nosed bats are known from the middle-late Eocene of Europe (Hill and Smith, 1984).
Genera of Hipposideridae encountered in the Indian Subcontinent:
Genus Asellia
Genus Coelops
Genus Hipposideros
Genus Triaenops
Species identification
Jump to the Text Key of this family Page 106: Family Hipposideridae / (Coelops).