Dobson, 1872
Dobson's Horseshoe bat
External characters (Table 40)
This species is distinguished from R. pearsonii (Rpe1) by its larger size. The forearm averages 56.6 mm (54.2-59.5 mm) in length. The noseleaf is similar to that of R. luctus (Rlu1) and R. beddomei (Rbe1) but without the circular basal lappets on either side of the sella. Furthermore unlike these other two taxa, when viewed laterally, the inferior extremity of the sella is not deflected downwards and forwards. The ears and pelage are comparable to those of R. pearsonii ; the interfemoral membrane has hairs on its upper surface and posterior border.
Cranial characters
The skull is similar to that of R. pearsonii but larger with an average condylo-canine length of 22.7 mm (22.3-22.9 mm).
Dentition
- Upper toothrow length (C-M3) averages 10.2 mm (9.5-10.6 mm). The first upper premolar (PM2) is very well developed and lies within the toothrow.
- The second lower premolar (pm3) is small and lies slightly external to the midline of the toothrow. The first (pm2) and third (pm4) lower premolars are not usually in contact.
Variation
Specimens from India are referred to the nominate form R. y. yunanensis .
Taxonomic remarks
The taxonomic status of yunanensis has been unclear ever since Dobson, 1872a proposed the name and then subsequently synonymised it as a junior synonym of R. pearsonii (Dobson, 1876; Dobson,1878). However, Hinton and Lindsay, 1926, Lekagul and McNeely, 1977; Hill, 1986, Corbet and Hill, 1992 and Koopman, 1993 amongst others have considered yunanensis to be a discrete species on account of its larger size and sympatric distribution with R. pearsonii in at least part of its range.