Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Laurasiatheria
Cladus: Scrotifera
Ordo: Chiroptera
Subordo: Yangochiroptera
Superfamilia: Vespertilionoidea
Familia: Molossidae
Subfamilia: Molossinae
Genus: Chaerephon
Species: Chaerephon nigeriae
Subspecies: C. n. nigeriae – C. n. spillmani
Name
Chaerephon nigeriae Thomas, 1913
Type locality: Nigeria, Northern Region, Zaria Province.
References
Thomas, 1913. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, ser. 8, 11: 319.
Conservation status: IUCN: Chaerephon nigeriae (Least Concern)
Chaerephon nigeriae in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
Distribution
Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Ethiopia south to Namibia, Botswana, Uganda, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.
Vernacular names
English: Nigerian Free-tailed Bat.
The Nigerian free-tailed bat (Mops nigeriae) is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is native to two widely separated parts of Africa, and is sometimes considered to represent two separate species.[1][2]
Description
The Nigerian free-tailed bat is one of the larger lesser mastiff bats, measuring about 11 cm (4.3 in) in body length, with a 4 cm (1.6 in) tail. It has very dark brown fur, with bands of white hair on the lower surfaces of the wings join the body. The wings and the membranes between the legs are white and translucent. The head is flattened in shape, with large round ears connected by a band of skin rolled over into a ridge. Males have a crest of hair behind this ridge, which they can raise, apparently as a display to females.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The Nigerian free-tailed bat has two subspecies, found in distinct regions of Africa. The nominate subspecies, N. nigeriae nigeriae, is found in a band of territory running from Sierra Leone in the west to extreme northern Congo in the east, and occasionally as far east as Ethiopia. A more southerly subspecies, N. nigeriae spillmanni, is found from the southernmost parts of Congo to Botswana and from Angola to Tanzania and Malawi. Within these regions, it is found in savannah woodlands and on the partially cleared margins of tropical rainforests.[1]
Biology and behaviour
The Nigerian free-tailed bat is nocturnal, and feeds on insects. It spends the day roosting in groups of about ten to fifteen adults, typically in hollow trees or under bark. Breeding occurs around the beginning of the rainy season, with young being born between June and August in the north, and around December in the south.[2]
The digestive tract of Nigerian free-tailed bats is somewhat unusual. There is a large glandular sac attached to the duodenum, which is lined by Brunner's glands, and secretes alkaline mucus into the intestine to neutralise excess acid from the stomach. The bat also lacks a colon, with the small intestine opening directly into the short rectum.[3]
References
Monadjem, A.; Bergmans, W.; Hutson, A.M.; Cotterill, F.P.D.; Mickleburgh, S. (2017). "Chaerephon nigeriae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T4315A22018693. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T4315A22018693.en. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
Willis, C.K.R.; et al. (2002). "Chaerephon nigeriae". Mammalian Species. 710: Number 710: pp. 1–3. doi:10.1644/1545-1410(2002)710<0001:CN>2.0.CO;2. S2CID 198968810.
Okon, E.E. (1977). "Functional Anatomy of the Alimentary Canal in the Fruit Bat, Eidolon helvum, and the Insect Bat, Tadarida nigeriae". Acta Zoologica. 58 (2): 83–93. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.1977.tb00242.x.
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