Sliding-tailed bats
| Sliding-tailed bats | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head of Coleura afra , from Catalog of the Chiroptera |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Coleura | ||||||||||||
| Peters , 1867 |
The sliding-tailed bats ( Coleura ) are a genus of bats in the family smooth-nosed free- tailed bats with three species.
Mammal Species of the World (2005) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) differentiate between the following species:
- The African sliding-tailed bat ( Coleura afra ) occurs in Africa with several separate populations. According to older sources, it reaches the Arabian Peninsula .
- The Seychelles sliding-tailed bat ( Coleura seychellensis ) is endemic to the Seychelles .
In 2012 the new species Coleura kibomalandy was described by Madagascar, which was originally considered a synonym for Coleura afra .
description
The sliding-tailed bats reach a head-trunk length of 55 to 65 mm and a tail length of 12 to 20 mm. They weigh about 10 g. The coat is generally brown in color with shades of reddish and gray. The Coleura species are listed together with the genera Emballonura and Mosia in the tribe Emballonurini . Just like with these, the glands on the top of the flight membrane are absent . In contrast, Coleura only has one upper incisor per half of the jaw.
Way of life
These animals rest in caves, crevices and buildings. There they form small groups to very large colonies , which occasionally contain up to 50,000 specimens. Unlike many other bats, they seldom rest upside down. You are more likely to lie on the rock, sometimes with your upper body pointing downwards. Mixed colonies with other bats are found in larger caves. The Coleura species mainly hunt insects . In coleura afra is assumed that a male forming a Harem group with several females. One young is born per litter, mostly in rainy seasons.
Status, threat and protection
A potential danger to the African sliding-tailed bat is human disturbance in resting places. Since the species is widespread, it is listed by the IUCN as " Least Concern " . The Seychelles ponytail bat populations declined rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Extensive deforestation on the islands is believed to be the cause. Many specimens fell victim to introduced predators such as barn owls ( Tyto alba ) and house cats. The species is considered "critically endangered" ( Critically Endangered ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Coleura ).
- ↑ a b Coleura in the IUCN 2014 Red List of Threatened Species . Accessed December 3, 2014.
- ^ A b c Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 1. 6th edition. 1999, p. 312 ff. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
- ↑ SM Goodman, SJ Puechmaille, N. Friedli-Weyeneth, J. Gerlach, M. Ruedi, MC Schoeman, WT Stanley, EC Teeling: Phylogeny of the Emballonurini (Emballonuridae) with descriptions of a new genus and species from Madagascar. ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Journal of Mammalogy 93 (6), 2012; Pp. 1440-1455
