Mehely's horseshoe bat

Mehely's horseshoe bat
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Rhinolophidae
Genus: Rhinolophus
Species: R. mehelyi
Binomial name
Rhinolophus mehelyi
Matschie, 1901
Mehely's horseshoe bat range

Mehely's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus mehelyi) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae found in eastern Europe and parts of the Middle East.

Description

The bat is medium-sized for a member of the Rhinolophus genus, with pale lips and grey-brown ears and flight membranes. The fur is relatively thick, with the base of hairs grey-white. Ventral fur is almost white, while dorsal fur is grey-brown; the line between the dorsal and ventral sides is relatively sharp.

Habitat

The bat is cave-dwelling, preferring areas of limestone with nearby water. It has been known to roost in caves with other horseshoe bats, hanging free on the cave roof.

Hunting

The bat emerges at dusk, hunting low over the ground on warm hillsides and also among bushes and trees, preying on moths and other insects.

Echolocation

The constant frequency sound is between 105 and 112 kHz, with a short drop in frequency at the end of the signal, which normally lasts between 20 and 30 milliseconds. There is some frequency overlap with the lesser horseshoe bat and the Mediterranean horseshoe bat.

Mating and Selection

A behavioral study conducted by Puechmaille et. al. (2014) revealed that the peak frequencies of echolocation calls emitted by male and female Rhinolophus mehelyi accurately reflect their body size and condition. In the experiment, larger males proved to have higher call frequencies that attracted females twice as often as males with lower call frequencies. In contrast, males appeared to choose females at random. This distinction suggests that females choose males based on their call frequency for the indirect benefits of having healthier and fitter offspring. The mating system is therefore comparable to a lek, making female mate choice a selection factor in the evolution of call frequency in males that may counter other selection pressures imposed by their ecological niche.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Puechmaille, S. J., I. M. Borissov, S. Zsebok, B. Allegrini, M. Hizem, S. Kuenzel, M. Schuchmann et al. 2014. Female mate choice can drive the evolution of high frequency echolocation in bats: A case study with Rhinolophus mehelyi. PLoS ONE 9:9:e103452.
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