| Egyptian mouse-tailed bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Rhinopomatidae |
| Genus: | Rhinopoma |
| Species: | R. cystops |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinopoma cystops Thomas, 1903 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Egyptian mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma cystops) is a species of mouse-tailed bat found in North Africa and the Middle East.
It was described as a new species in 1903 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas. The holotype had been collected near Luxor, Egypt by Charles Rothschild. [2] It was long considered a subspecies of the lesser mouse-tailed bat, R. hardwickii, but in 2007, Hulva et al. published that it should be considered a full species. [3]
It has a dental formula of 1.1.1.32.1.2.3 for a total of 28 teeth. [4]
It is a colonial species, forming aggregations consisting of a few individuals or as many as one thousand. [1] It utilizes both caves and human structures as roosts. [5]
Its range includes several countries and regions in North Africa and the Middle East: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Western Sahara, and Yemen. It has been documented at elevations up to 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above sea level. [1]
As of 2017, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this classification because it has a wide geographic range and no major threats to its existence are known. [1]
Mouse-tailed bats are a group of insectivorous microbats of the family Rhinopomatidae with only three to six species, all contained in the single genus Rhinopoma. They are found in the Old World, from North Africa to Thailand and Sumatra, in arid and semiarid regions, roosting in caves, houses and even the Egyptian pyramids. They are relatively small, with a body length of just 5 to 6 cm. They weigh between 6 and 14 g.
The lesser mouse-tailed bat is a species of microbat in the family Rhinopomatidae. Also referred to as Hardwicke's lesser mouse-tailed bat and long-tailed bat, it is named after Major General Thomas Hardwicke (1755–1835), an English soldier and naturalist who served many years in India. It is found in North Africa, some parts of central and eastern Africa, West Asia and east to the Indian subcontinent.
The greater mouse-tailed bat is a species of bat in the Rhinopomatidae family.
The small mouse-tailed bat is a species of bat in the Rhinopomatidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, and possibly Ethiopia, ranging from the Sistan Basin in Iran well into the Helmand River basin of south-western Afghanistan.
The Yemeni mouse-tailed bat is an endangered species of bat found in Yemen. It is only known from one roost, and its population is estimated at 150 individuals.
