Parchment wing bats
| Parchment wing bats | ||||||||||||
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Bottom: Daubenton parchment-wing bat ( Myopterus daubentonii ) |
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| Myopterus | ||||||||||||
| É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , 1818 |
The parchment-winged bats ( Myopterus ) are a species of bat from the family of bulldog bats (Molossidae). The genus includes two species that live in central Africa.
The bats of this genus differ from other bulldog bats by the short and rounded ears, the long snout and the laterally arranged nostrils. They reach a head body length of 56 to 66 millimeters, plus a 25 to 33 millimeter long tail. Their fur is dark brown on the top and light red to yellowish-white on the underside.
Little is known about their way of life. They are likely to be inhabitants of the rainforests and live mainly solitary. During the day they sleep in tree hollows or hidden under leaves. At night they look for food, mainly preying on insects.
There are two types:
- the daubenton parchment wing bat ( Myopterus daubentonii ) is widespread from Senegal to the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and so far only known from 23 specimens.
- the bini parchment wing bat ( Myopterus whitleyi ) occurs from Ghana to Uganda and eats softer prey than M. daubentonii .
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, ISBN 0801857899 .
- Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . 3rd edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0801882214 .
Web links
- Endangerment level of the two species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .