Chaerephon pusillus

Last updated

Chaerephon pusillus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Molossidae
Genus: Chaerephon
Species:
C. pusillus
Binomial name
Chaerephon pusillus
Miller, 1902
Synonyms
  • Nyctinomus pusillusMiller, 1902

Chaerephon pusillus is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found on islands off the coast of east Africa. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

This bat was originally considered a distinct species, before being relegated to a synonym of C. pumilus . However, the presumed Seychelles populations of C. pumilus were discovered to be smaller than the ones in Kenya and Madagascar, leading to the resurrection of the name as a distinct species. [2]

Description

The bat has a blackish-brown dorsum, brown throat, and dark brown chest. It has a dark brown venter, with a small white mid-ventral patch in rare cases. Comorian populations of the bat have a distinct whitish or beige strip of hairs at the base of the wings. [3]

There is a possibility of inter-island seasonal variation in reproduction. [3]

Habitat and distribution

The bat is found in the Comoro Islands and Seychelles.

On Comoros, it was not observed roosting in natural sites, but instead mostly in the attics of public buildings. Moreover, the bats were observed to roost in older-style colonial buildings, but not in modern buildings. Their roosting may also be seasonal, as they have been observed abandoning roosts during the cold season. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine long-eared bat</span> Species of bat

The Alpine long-eared bat or mountain long-eared bat is a species of long-eared bat. It was originally described from Switzerland and Austria as a species intermediate between the brown long-eared bat and the grey long-eared bat in 1965. It was later described in 2002, from France and Austria, respectively. Despite its name, this species is not restricted to the Alps, being found in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere. It differs from other European long-eared bats, such as the brown long-eared bat, by its white underparts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anjouan myotis</span> Species of bat

The Anjouan myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is found only in Comoros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little forest bat</span> Species of bat

The little forest bat is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found only in south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It is a tiny bat often weighing less than 4 g (0.14 oz). It is sometimes referred to as Australia's smallest mammal, although the Northern or Koopmans Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus westralis, is possibly smaller, weighing on average around 3 g (0.11 oz). It is the smallest bat in Tasmania

Grandidier's free-tailed bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and dry savanna. It has at times been considered synonymous with the little free-tailed bat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little free-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

The little free-tailed bat is a species of the genus Chaerephon in the family Molossidae. It is widely distributed across Africa and islands around the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">São Tomé leaf-nosed bat</span> Species of bat

The São Tomé leaf-nosed bat is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is endemic to the island of São Tomé, in the Gulf of Guinea off the western coast of Africa. The bat's natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and caves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andaman horseshoe bat</span> Species of bat

The Andaman horseshoe bat is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands. During the day, it roosts in caves, but may also choose tree hollows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascan rousette</span> Species of bat

The Madagascan rousette or Madagascar rousette, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egyptian free-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

The Egyptian free-tailed bat, also known as Egyptian guano bat or Egyptian nyctinome, is a species of bat in the family Molossidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grandidier's trident bat</span> Species of bat

Grandidier's trident bat is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae endemic to Madagascar. It was formerly assigned to the genus Triaenops, but is now placed in the separate genus Paratriaenops.

<i>Chaerephon</i> (bat) Genus of bats

Chaerephon is a genus of Old World free-tailed bats in the family Molossidae. Molecular sequence data indicates that Chaerephon, Mops and Tadarida are not monophyletic taxa. The closest relatives of Chaerephon jobimena of Madagascar are Tadarida aegyptiaca of Africa and southwest Asia, and Tadarida brasiliensis of the Americas, which form a clade believed to be about 9.8 million years old. However, the grouping of Chaerephon minus C. jobimena plus Mops was found to be monophyletic.

<i>Mops</i> (bat) Genus of bats

Mops is a genus of bats in the family Molossidae. Molecular sequence data indicates that Mops and Chaerephon are not monophyletic taxa. However, the grouping of Chaerephon and Mops was found to be monophyletic when excluding C. jobimena.

<i>Triaenops menamena</i> Bat species found in Madagascar

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. Triaenops rufus is a synonym of Triaenops persicus, a Middle Eastern species closely related to T. menamena— the Malagasy species had previously been placed as a subspecies of T. persicus by some authors. Triaenops menamena is mostly found in forests, but also occurs in other habitats. It often roosts in large colonies and eats insects such as butterflies and moths. Because of its wide range, common occurrence, and tolerance of habitat degradation, it is not considered to be threatened.

<i>Miniopterus griveaudi</i> Bat in the family Miniopteridae from the Comoros and Madagascar

Miniopterus griveaudi is a bat in the genus Miniopterus found on Grande Comore and Anjouan in the Comoros and in northern and western Madagascar. First described in 1959 from Grande Comore as a subspecies of the mainland African M. minor, it was later placed with the Malagasy M. manavi. However, morphological and molecular studies published in 2008 and 2009 indicated that M. manavi as then defined contained five distinct, unrelated species, and M. griveaudi was redefined as a species occurring on both Madagascar and the Comoros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commerson's roundleaf bat</span> Species of mammal

Commerson's roundleaf bat, also known as Commerson's leaf-nosed bat, is a species of bat endemic to Madagascar. It is named after French naturalist Philibert Commerson (1727-1773). Bat populations of Africa or São Tomé and Príncipe formerly considered part of this species are now classified separately as M. gigas, M. thomensis or M. vattatus, while one from Madagascar was split off to become M. cryptovalorona. It was formerly placed in the genus Hipposideros, but moved to the resurrected Macronycteris in 2017 on the basis of molecular evidence.

<i>Chaerephon jobimena</i> Species of bat

Chaerephon jobimena, commonly known as the black and red free-tailed bat, is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is endemic to western Madagascar. With a forearm length of 45 to 48 mm, C. jobimena is somewhat larger than other Malagasy bats assigned to Chaerephon, but similar in size to Tadarida aegyptiaca.

Chaerephon atsinanana is a free-tailed bat found on Madagascar. It was considered a subspecies of the little free-tailed bat until 2010. During the day, they are known to roost in man-made structures such as the roofs or attics of buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marovaza yellow bat</span> Species of bat

The Marovaza yellow bat or Marovaza house bat is a species of bat found in Madagascar.

References

  1. "Catalogue of Life : Chaerephon pusillus (Miller, 1902)". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  2. Goodman, Steven (2007-12-01). "The taxonomic status of Chaerephon pumilus from the western Seychelles: Resurrection of the name C. pusillus for an endemic species". Acta Chiropterologica. 9 (2): 391–399. doi:10.3161/1733-5329(2007)9[391:TTSOCP]2.0.CO;2.
  3. 1 2 3 Goodman, Steven M.; Weyeneth, Nicole; Ibrahim, Yahaya; Saïd, Ishaka; Ruedi, Manuel (2010). "A Review of the Bat Fauna of the Comoro Archipelago". Acta Chiropterologica. 12: 117–141. doi:10.3161/150811010X504635.