| Malagasy yellow bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Scotophilus |
| Species: | S. tandrefana |
| Binomial name | |
| Scotophilus tandrefana Goodman, Jenkins & Ratrimomanarivo, 2005 | |
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| Range map | |
The Malagasy yellow bat (Scotophilus tandrefana), sometimes known as the western yellow bat, is a species of vesper bat endemic to Madagascar. [2]
It was described as a new species in 2005. The holotype was collected in 2003 just outside the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve in Madagascar. Its species name " tandrefana " is Malagasy for "from the west". [3]
It has a forearm length of approximately 47 mm (1.9 in), a tail length of 46 mm (1.8 in), and an ear length of 13 mm (0.51 in). The holotype weighed 14.2 g (0.50 oz). The fur of its back is dark brown, while its belly fur is a medium shade of brown. [3] It uses echolocation to navigate and find prey: it utilizes steep frequency-modulated echolocation (FM) as well as that of a quasi-constant frequency (QCF). Its echolocation reaches maximum energy around 48.2 kHz. Minimum frequency is 42.2 kHz, while maximum frequency is 91.2 kHz. [4]
As of 2019, it is listed as a data deficient species by the IUCN. [1]
