Egyptian free-tailed bat

Egyptian free-tailed bat
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Molossidae
Genus: Tadarida
Species: T. aegyptiaca
Binomial name
Tadarida aegyptiaca
(É. Geoffroy, 1818)

The Egyptian free-tailed bat (Tadarida aegyptiaca) is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is distributed through most of Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. In India, this species has been recorded from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (Simmons, 2005; Pradhan & Mahabal, 2001; Karad & Yardi, 2004; Bates & Harrison, 1997; Srinivasulu et al., in press). Its natural habitat is dry savanna.

Description

Head and body length is 6-8cm. Forearms 5cm. Wingspan is 35cm.

Completely chocolate brown, with a light brown basal portion to the hairs of the dorsal side and a white base to the hairs on the underside. Large lips with prominent tail. Fur is soft, dense, and short.

Taxonomy

Molecular sequence data indicates T. aegyptiaca's closest relative is Chaerephon jobimena of Madagascar. These two species plus Tadarida brasiliensis of the Americas form a clade believed to be about 9.8 million years old.[2]

Culture

Known as මහ දිව් රැළි-තොල් වවුලා (maeninag "greater wrinkled-lipped bat") in Sinhala.

References

  1. ↑ Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, A., Bergmans, W., Cotterill, F.W., Fahr, J., & Jacobs, D. 2004. Tadarida aegyptiaca. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 30 July 2007.
  2. ↑ Lamb, J. M.; Ralph, T. M. C.; Naidoo, T.; Taylor, P. J.; Ratrimomanarivo, F.; Stanley, W. T.; Goodman, S. M. (June 2011). "Toward a Molecular Phylogeny for the Molossidae (Chiroptera) of the Afro-Malagasy Region". Acta Chiropterologica 13 (1): 1–16. doi:10.3161/150811011X578589.

External links

Media related to Tadarida aegyptiaca at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Tadarida aegyptiaca at Wikispecies

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