The rufous trident bat, Persian trident bat, or triple nose-leaf bat (''Triaenops persicus'') is a species of bat in the genus ''

Triaenops ''Triaenops'' is a genus of bat in the family Rhinonycteridae. It is classified in the tribe Triaenopini, along with the closely related genus ''Paratriaenops'' and perhaps the poorly known ''Cloeotis''. The species of ''Paratriaenops'', which oc ...

''. It occurs in southwestern Pakistan, southern Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. In the last country, it occurs together with the much smaller ''

Triaenops parvus The Yemeni trident leaf-nosed bat (''Triaenops parvus'') is a species of bat found in the Middle East. Taxonomy and etymology It was described as a new species in 2009 by Benda and Vallo. Before this, it had been considered synonymous with the ...

''. Populations from Madagascar and mainland Africa have also been assigned to ''T. persicus'', but are referable to the species ''

Triaenops menamena ''Triaenops menamena'' is a bat in the genus ''Triaenops'' found on Madagascar, mainly in the drier regions. It was known as ''Triaenops rufus'' until 2009, when it was discovered that that name had been incorrectly applied to the species. ''Triae ...

'' and ''

Triaenops afer The African trident bat (''Triaenops afer'') is a species of rhinonycterid (leaf-nosed or nose-leaf) bat found in Africa, from western Central Africa east to coastal Kenya and Mozambique. Taxonomy and etymology The African trident bat, ''Triaen ...

'', respectively. Madagascar populations have also been referred to as ''Triaenops rufus'', but this name is a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

of ''T. persicus''. Findings from a study incorporating morphological data and echolocation calls have suggested that populations in the

Rift Valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges produced by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear ...

in Kenya (

Nakuru Nakuru (nicknamed Nax) is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and it is the fourth largest city in Kenya and the largest in the Rift Valley region. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570, ...

, Baringo, and Pokot counties), previously believed to be ''

'', are actually populations of ''T. persicus'', although with some differentiation from the Middle Eastern populations in terms of both cranial morphology and vocalisations.

References

Triaenops Bats of Africa Bats of Asia Mammals of the Middle East Fauna of East Africa Fauna of Iran Taxa named by George Edward Dobson Mammals described in 1871 {{Hipposideridae-stub