Records of the Western Australian Museum 17 : 1-28 ( 1995 ). 
Taxonomy of Rhinolophus simplex Andersen, 1905 (Chiroptera : 
Rhinolophidae) in Nusa Tenggara and Maluku, Indonesia 
D.J. Kitchener 1 , L.H. Schmitt 2 , P. Strano 1 , A. Wheeler 1 and A. Suyanto 3 
1 Western Australian Museum, Francis Street, Perth, Western Australia 6000 
2 Department of Anatomy and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009 
3 Balitbang Zoologi (LIP1), Jalan Ir. H. Juanda 9, Bogor, Indonesia 16122 
Abstract - Rhinolophus simplex simplex Andersen, 1905 was collected for the 
first time from Bali, Nusa Penida, Moyo, Sangeang, Rinca, Flores, Lembata, 
Alor and Sumba islands. Additionally, specimens were collected from 
Lombok, Sumbawa. Other forms of R. simplex were collected from Timor, 
Savu, Roti, Semau and Kai Kecil islands. Rhinolophus simplex parvus 
Goodwin, 1979 is restricted to Timor Island; Rhinolophus simplex keyensis 
Peters, 1871 occurs on Kai Kecil Island. Rhinolophus simplex subsp. nov. is 
described on the basis of its morphology. It occurs on Savu, Roti and Serna 
islands. 
Protein electrophoresis reveals that populations of Rhinolophus simple. 
show levels of genetic variation that are near the mammalian average. 
Genetic differentiation of populations is low. 
INTRODUCTION 
Rhinolophus simplex was described by Andersen 
(1905) from Lombok I., Nusa Tenggara. Since then 
it has been considered a species by Corbet and Hill 
(1980, 1986, 1991); Honacki et al. (1982); van Strien 
(1986) and Tate and Archbold (1939). Koopman 
(1982), however, considered that R. simplex and the 
closely allied Maluku species: R. keyensis keyensis 
Peters, 1871; R. k. annectens Sanborn, 1939; R. 
truncatus Peters, 1871 and R. nanus Andersen, 1905 
might well be subspecies of R. megaphyllus Gray, 
1834. Hill (1992) supported this latter view and 
considered the above forms, along with R. robinsoni 
Andersen, 1918 and R. megaphyllus thaianus Hill, 
1992 (Thailand) and R. klossi Andersen, 1918 
(Malaya), as subspecies of R. megaphyllus. 
Hill (1992) concluded that the major difference 
between the above forms was in the width of the 
sella, especially the base, and in the degree of 
inflation of the median anterior rostral swellings. 
He considered the forms from New Guinea and 
Australia and the forms thaianus, robinsoni and 
klossi from Thailand, have a wide sella and 
prominent, almost hemispherical narial swellings; 
in tire Maluku forms the sella is a little narrower, 
but the narial swellings remain well developed; 
and in the Lesser Sunda island forms both sella 
and narial swellings are least developed. 
Vertebrate surveys by the Western Australian 
Museum, in collaboration with the Museum 
Zoologicum Bogoriense, throughout Java, Lesser 
Sunda islands and Maluku Tenggara, between 1987 
and 1992, resulted in the collection of extensive 
series of specimens, closely related to R. simplex. 
Additionally a series of R. borneensis parvus 
Goodwin, 1979 (placed as a subspecies of R. 
celebensis by Hill 1992) was collected from Timor. 
This paper reports on an examination of 
morphological and genetic variation among these 
specimens and on a comparison of this variation 
with a series of R. megaphyllus from Queensland, 
Australia. A small collection of R. borneensis 
importunus from Java are included for reference. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
A total of 117 adult specimens was examined 
from a number of islands in Indonesia and 
Queensland, Australia (see Figure 1 for locality of 
specimens). They are listed in the "Specimens 
Examined" section. All these specimens are 
currently lodged in the Western Australian 
Museum (WAM). At the completion of this series 
of surveys half of all the WAM specimens, 
including the holotype, will be lodged in the 
Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Bogor. 
Thirty two measurements of skull, dentary and 
dental characters and 18 of external characters (all 
in mm) were recorded from adult specimens (see 
Figure 2, caption). The skull, dentary and dental 
characters were measured to an accuracy of 
0 . 01 mm, while the external characters were 
measured to an accuracy of 0 . 1 mm. 
