Rhinolophus megaphyllus
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The smaller horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus megaphyllus) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. A species was first described by John Edward Gray in 1834, using a specimen provided by George Bennett that had been collected in a cave near the Murrimbidgee River.
Noted as the megaphyllus-species group, subsuming earlier taxa ranked as species and separating other these previously allied to the species complex. Five subspecies were recognised by Mammal Species of the World (Simmons, 2005)
Rhinolophus megaphyllus J. E. Gray 1834 Rhinolophus megaphyllus megaphyllus Rhinolophus megaphyllus fallax K. Andersen, 1906 Rhinolophus megaphyllus ignifer Allen, 1933 Rhinolophus megaphyllus monachus K. Andersen, 1905 Rhinolophus megaphyllus vandeuseni Koopman, 1982
The common names assigned to the species include the smaller and eastern horseshoe bat. Rhinolophus megaphyllus is a small rhinolophid bat that has a combined head and body length of 44–53 millimetres, with a measurement of the forearm an approximately equal length at 44–52 mm. The mass is in a range of 7 to 13 grams. They have simple and large ears, measuring... Wikipedia →
Recording1:11
Australia · 2022
© Andrew Rock · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Smaller Horseshoe Bat sighting in Springbrook National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 22 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and May
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Smaller Horseshoe Bat in Springbrook National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and June–December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Smaller Horseshoe Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Smaller Horseshoe Bat sightings, Springbrook National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Daintree National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Smaller Horseshoe Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Springbrook National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
