Bonda velvet bat

Bonda velvet bat
Bonda velvet bat ( Molossus currentium )
Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria Order : Bats (chiroptera) Superfamily : Smooth-nosed (Vespertilionoidea) Family : Bulldog bats (Molossidae) Genre : Velvet bats ( Molossus ) Type : Bonda velvet bat
Scientific name
Molossus currentium
Thomas , 1901

The velvet Bonda bat ( Molossus currentium ) is a species of bat from the family of bulldog bats (Molossidae), which is native to Central and South America.

Distribution area of ​​the Bonda velvet bat divided into the three subspecies M. c. currentium (red), M. c. bondae (green) and M. c. robustus (blue)

Distribution & Taxonomy

There are three subspecies of the Bonda velvet bat:

• Molossus currentium currentium Thomas 1901, Argentina to Brazil
• Molossus currentium bondae Allen 1904, Colombia , Ecuador and Panama
• Molossus currentium robustus López-González & Presley 2001, Honduras to Costa Rica

The velvet Bonda bat was called Molossus bondae until 2001 , based on a holotype collected in Bonda ( Colombia ) in 1904 . The zoologist Joel Asaph Allen then named the species as Molossus bondae . Three years earlier, Oldfield Thomas described the same species as a subspecies of Molossus obscurum and named it Molossus obscurum currentium . The species status was later recognized and it was renamed Molossus currentium . However, a study published in 2001 could show that Molossus bondae is identical to Molossus obscurum currentium , and thus the species has actually been described twice independently. According to the current rule of nomenclature in biology, the species is named after the first descriptor and has therefore been officially called Molossus currentium Thomas , 1901, since 2001 .

description

The velvet Bonda bat reaches a head-to-trunk length of about 70 mm, and an average weight of 18 g, with the females being larger than the males. The tail can be up to 40 mm long. The fur of the Bonda velvet bat is 2–2.5 mm long and usually appears reddish-brown on the back. However, individuals can be colored differently, from orange-brown to black.

Way of life

The velvet Bonda bat lives mainly in forests. The species is strictly insectivorous and probably specializes in moths . Colonies can be found in caves, crevices and hollow trees in buildings, where the animals can withstand extreme temperatures in the narrow spaces under the roof. Sinaloa velvet bats ( Molossus sinaloae ) are sometimes found in the same building with a colony of Bonda velvet bats . The females of the Bonda velvet bat are polyestrial and each give birth to a single young.

Danger

The IUCN classifies the population as stable and safe thanks to its wide distribution and large populations.

literature

• SE Burnett, JB Jennings, JC Rainey, TL Best: Molossus bondae , Mammalian Species , No. 668 (2001): pp. 1-3

swell

1. ^ Theodor CH Cole: Dictionary of Mammal Names - Dictionary of Mammal Names . 1st edition. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2015, ISBN 978-3-662-46269-0 .
2. ^ Molossus currentium in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved December 2, 2017.
3. ^ C. López-González & SJ Presley. 2001. Taxonomic status of Molossus bondae JA Allen. 1904 (Chiroptera: Molossidae), with description of a new subspecies. Journal of Mammalogy, 82: pp. 760-774
4. ^ PW Freeman. 1979. Specialized insectivory: Beetle-eating and moth-eating molossid bats. Journal of Mammalogy 60. pp. 467-479
5. ^ Molossus currentium in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.2. Posted by: R., Barquez & M. Diaz, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2017.