Ecomorphological differences between sister species, Rhinolophus capensis and Rhinolophus swinnyi

Abstract

Phenotypic analyses of sibling species provide the opportunity to examine divergence that is caused by adaptation rather than phylogenetic history. Rhinolophus capensis and Rhinolophus swinnyi diverged from a common ancestor between 15 and 20 million years ago. The Fynbos biome of the south-western Cape (South Africa) arose around the same time, and its distribution is coincident with that of R. capensis. Since this event probably influenced the speciation of these species, I examine differences in the ecomorphology of these bats in their current distributions. R. capensis is bigger than R. swinnyi, with corresponding differences in echolocation call signatures and wing morphology.