First occurrence record of Indian Roundleaf Bat Hipposideros lankadiva in Rajasthan, India

Abstract

An erroneously cited text of Wason by subsequent authors has led to the assumption that Hipposideros lankadiva was first recorded in Rajasthan in the Bhim Bharak caves of Jodhpur. A careful review of Wason’s note revealed that it in fact mentioned another species from the genus, H. fulvus. This erroneous citation has led to several research articles published on the ecological aspects of this species to be misinformed. The authors discovered a small population of H. lankadiva in eastern Rajasthan and have monitored this new population since 2010. Since the Bhim Bharak cave location is erroneous, Kased Cave (26.2209N, 77.1024E) is the only location of H. lankadiva for Rajasthan and is therefore the first record of the species from the state.