Wildlifeof India
Greater Japanese Horseshoe Bat
Bats
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Rhinolophus nippon
Basic stats
Range
India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, North Korea, South Korea and Japan (type locality Japan)
The greater Japanese horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus nippon, was described by Temminck in 1835 from Japan and was split from the greater horseshoe bat on molecular and form differences. The Mammal Diversity Database lists it from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, the Koreas and Japan (Mammal Diversity Database).
A June 2025 report from a survey in Uttarakhand gave the first specimen-based confirmation of the species in India. A 2021 study found that Japanese populations are not a single lineage, which points to bats moving back from the Japanese islands to the mainland. No source opened gives size, appearance, roost or diet detail (Mammal Diversity Database; news report on the Uttarakhand survey).
Quick answers
- Where is the Greater Japanese Horseshoe Bat found?
- India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, North Korea, South Korea and Japan (type locality Japan)