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 Hipposideridae. 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 ...

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

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 created 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 de ...

in Kenya (

Nakuru Nakuru is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and was formerly the capital of Rift Valley Province. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban and rural population of 570,674 inhabitants, making it the largest ...

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