House bats
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Little Asiatic House Bat ( Scotophilus kuhlii ) |
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| Leach , 1821 |
The house bats ( Scotophilus ) are a genus of bats from the family smooth-nosed (Vespertilionoidea). The species live in Africa and Asia.
features
The representatives of the genus are characterized by a stocky build and strong jaws and teeth. They reach a head-trunk length of 60 to 117 mm and a tail length of 40 to 65 mm. The weight is usually between 15 and 22 g. An exception is the giant house bat ( Scotophilus nigrita ), which weighs around 89 g and is significantly heavier. The species have forearms 42 to 89 mm long. The Scotophilus species have different coat colors, which can also vary between the populations of a species. The most common are yellow-brown tones on the top, while the underside is usually paler to whitish. In the small Asian house bat ( Scotophilus kuhlii ), seasonal changes in coat color were recorded.
Way of life
The habitat depends on the species and population. Some representatives stay mainly in forests, while others prefer savannahs . Many species have adapted to urbanized landscapes as cultural followers .
House roofs are often chosen as resting places, under which high temperatures can arise. Furthermore, these bats use tree hollows or hollowed-out stems of large palm leaves as shelter. Individuals of Scotophilus kuhlii were observed in 1989 in tent-like constructions made from leaves. These dwellings are more typical of the South American genus Uroderma (fruit vampires). African species occasionally take over abandoned nests from woodpeckers .
At dusk, the bats begin their hunt for insects such as beetles, moths and termites.
Usually groups with less than 20 members form at the resting place. Occasionally there are colonies with about a hundred individuals. Maternity roosts with several hundred females are known for Scotophilus kuhlii , in which the young are raised. In general, no more than two pups are born per litter.
species
The following species belong to the genus Scotophilus . Several of these were newly described in the 2000s or separated from other species as a separate taxon .
- Scotophilus borbonicus , on Réunion .
- Sulawesi house bat ( Scotophilus celebensis ), on Sulawesi .
- Sody house bat ( Scotophilus collinus ), on several islands in Southeast Asia.
- Yellow-bellied house bat ( Scotophilus dinganii ), sub-Saharan Africa.
- Greater Asiatic House Bat ( Scotophilus heathi ), southern mainland Asia as well as Sri Lanka and Hainan .
- Small Asiatic House Bat ( Scotophilus kuhlii ), southern Asia and Southeast Asian islands.
- White-bellied house bat ( Scotophilus leucogaster ), Sahel zone in Africa, as well as isolated populations further south.
- Marovaza house bat ( Scotophilus marovaza ), western Madagascar .
- Giant house bat ( Scotophilus nigrita ), West and East Africa.
- Robbins house bat ( Scotophilus nucella ), Ghana , Ivory Coast .
- Nut-colored house bat ( Scotophilus nux ), West and Central Africa.
- Robust house bat ( Scotophilus robustus ), Madagascar.
- Western house bat ( Scotophilus tandrefana ), Western Madagascar.
- Southern greenish house bat ( Scotophilus viridis ), Sahel and East Africa.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 1. 6th edition. 1999, pp. 448-450, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- ↑ Jonathan Kingdon (Ed.): Mammals of Africa . 6 volumes. A & C Black, 2013, ISBN 978-1-4081-2254-9 , pp. 678-679 (English, Giant House Bat ).
- ↑ a b Scotophilus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014. Accessed March 8, 2015.
- ↑ 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, Scotophilus ).
