Gray, 1825
Horseshoe bats
This is a large family of small insect-eating bats. Geographically widespread in the Old World, their range extends from Western Europe and Africa to Japan, the Philippines and Australia. Following Corbet and Hill, 1992, it is considered to be a monogeneric group and Koopman, 1993 lists 64 living species. The earliest known fossil Rhinolophids are recorded from the Eocene of Europe and the Miocene of Australia and Africa (Savage and Russell, 1983). The family is characterised by the noseleaf on the muzzle which consists of an erect posterior lancet, a lower horizontal horseshoe that surrounds the nostrils and a perpendicular median sella (Fig. 267). The form of the noseleaf varies in complexity and is often diagnostic in the identification of species. The tail is well developed and included in the interfemoral membrane (Rfe1). The ears are pointed, each has a well developed antitragal lobe but no tragus (Rfe2). The skull (Fig. 78) has the premaxillae represented by projecting narrow palatal branches only; these two bones are partly cartilaginous and are not fused with each other or with the maxillae. Postorbital processes are absent. The palate is deeply emarginated posteriorly. The tympanic bullae are small but the cochleae are large. The upper incisor (I2) is very small. The first upper (PM2) and second lower (pm3) premolars are also small, often functionless and usually displaced externally from the toothrow; they are occasionally absent (Fig. 79).
Dental formula: i - 2 - c 1 pm - 2 - 4 m 1 2 3 = 32.
1 2 - 1 - 2 3 4 1 2 3
Genus of Rhinolophidae encountered in the Indian Subcontinent:
Genus Rhinolophus