| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 2002 |
| Authors: | D. Kock, Al-Jumaily, M. M., Nasher, A. K. |
| Journal: | Fauna of Arabia |
| Volume: | 19 |
| Pagination: | 507-515 |
| Date Published: | 2002 |
| Keywords: | Africa, Arabia, Chiroptera, Rhinolophidae, Rhinolophus blasii, Rhinolophus clivosus acrotis, Rhinolophus clivosus clivosus, systematics, taxonomy |
| Abstract: | The taxonomy of the rhinolophid bats of Yemen is investigated to assess their zoogeographic relationships. The widespread Rhinolophus clivosus is represented by the light-coloured Palaearctic R. c. clivosus (first record for Yemen) from one locality in Hadramaut and the dark-coloured Afrotropical R. c. acrotis from several other sites in Yemen. To better understand this bat species, which is the only one in Yemen represented by two subspecies, its taxonomic history is reviewed. Except for one population in north-western Ethiopia and north-western Somalia, all R. clivosus of Arabia and north-eastern Africa have lost the small anterior tipper premolar. The status of the related Afrotropical taxa R. keniensis and R. hillorum are recommended for further investigation. Rhinolophus blasii is examined for the first time since its discovery in Yemen. In the majority of its characters it agrees more closely with the nominate Subspecies of the Mediterranean region of the Palaearctic, R. b. blasii, than with geographically neighbouring Afrotropical populations of R. b. andreinii. This species represents one of two purely Palaearctic bat species, all other species recorded from Yemen show an Afrotropical or, more or less, Saharo-Sindian distribution. |