Roberts flat-headed bat

Roberts flat-headed bat
Systematics
Superordinate :	Laurasiatheria
Order :	Bats (chiroptera)
Superfamily :	Smooth-nosed (Vespertilionoidea)
Family :	Bulldog bats (Molossidae)
Genre :	Sauromys
Type :	Roberts flat-headed bat
Scientific name of the genus
	Sauromys
	Peterson , 1965
Scientific name of the species
	Sauromys petrophilus
	( Roberts , 1917)

Robert's flat-headed bat ( Sauromys petrophilus , syn .: Mormopterus petrophilus ) is a species of bulldog bats (Molossidae) that is native to southern Africa. The small to medium-sized species mainly lives in rock crevices and feeds on small insects.

features

Roberts flat-headed bat is a small to medium-sized bulldog bat. It reaches a head body length of 86 to 100 millimeters and a wingspan of 251 to 275 millimeters, the weight is 9 to 22 grams. The fur is light gray to brown on the back, but can be a little darker in some areas. The underside of the throat, chest and belly is creamy white with some brown streaks. Stripes from the chest to the abdomen, which are typical for other related species, are missing in this species. The wings are comparatively wide, the wing area is 81 to 96.9 cm². The head is flat, the egg-shaped ears have a small tragus and are 10 to 15 millimeters long. The tail is 24 to 40 millimeters long.

They differ from the sympatric species of the genera pug , free- tailed bats ( Chaerephon ) and folding-lipped bats ( Tadarida ) mainly in their wrinkled lips and the hairiness of the upper lip. They differ from the species of the genus Mormopterus mainly by a different ear attachment and the lack of a throat gland.

distribution

The range of the species is in southern Africa and stretches from the West African coast from the border area of Angola and Namibia to southern South Africa and from there to the northeast to Zimbabwe and western Mozambique . The altitude distribution ranges from 100 to 2000 meters.

Way of life

The bat prefers rocky regions as a habitat and needs crevices and caves as resting places during the day. She lives in small groups in flaked rock, sandstone and granite.

Little is known about the way of life. The skull morphology suggests that the bat feeds primarily on small and soft insects. Stomach contents and fecal samples showed mainly moths, hymenoptera and small beetles as main food. The water that the animals need comes from their food. It is a fast flier and moves mainly in open landscapes, including over bodies of water.

The calls of the animals are mostly in a frequency of 31.4 to 43.5 kHz to a minimum of 26.7 to 30.9 kHz. They last 5.0 to 10.2 milliseconds.

Systematics

Robert's flat- headed bat was first described by Austin Roberts in 1917 as Platymops petrophilus and thus placed in a genus together with the African flat-headed bat ( Platymops setiger ). It was placed by RL Peterson in the genus Sauromys and is the only species of this monotypical genus. Alternatively, it is often added to the genus Mormopterus as Mormopterus petrophilus .

Overall, Sauromys petrophilis erogensis , S. p. fitzsomonsi , S. p. haagneri and S. p. umbratus and the nominate form S. p. petrophilus five subspecies are described.

The name of the genus Sauromys is derived from the designation sauros for lizard and mys for "mouse" and is related to the discovery of the species: It was found in search of scorpions under stones. The species name petrophilus means "stone-loving", correspondingly the name Sauromys petrophilus translates into the non-common name "stone- loving lizard mouse".

Threat and protection

The species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (least concern) due to the size of the population. Sauromys petrophilus is common within its range and there are no known declines or threats of such a nature that a hazard category is justified.

supporting documents

^ Theodor CH Cole: Dictionary of Mammal Names - Dictionary of Mammal Names . 1st edition. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2015, ISBN 978-3-662-46269-0 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e David S. Jacobs, M. Brock Fenton: Mormopterus petrophilus . In: Mammalian Species . tape 703 , 2002, p. 1–3 ( full text (PDF; 303 kB)).

↑ ^a ^b ^c Sauromys petrophilus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2012.1. Listed by: S. Mickleburgh, AM Hutson, W. Bergmans, FPD Cotterill, M. Griffin, D. Jacobs, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

↑ ^a ^b Nancy B. Simmons: Sauromys petrophilus ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2 In: Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed). 2005

literature

David S. Jacobs, M. Brock Fenton: Mormopterus petrophilus. In: Mammalian Species . tape 703 , 2002, p. 1–3 ( full text (PDF; 303 kB)).

Web links

Sauromys petrophilus inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: S. Mickleburgh, AM Hutson, W. Bergmans, FPD Cotterill, M. Griffin, D. Jacobs, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

[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 .

[Jacobs_&_Fenton_2003-2] David S. Jacobs, M. Brock Fenton: Mormopterus petrophilus . In: Mammalian Species . tape 703 , 2002, p. 1–3 ( full text (PDF; 303 kB)).

[IUCN-3] Sauromys petrophilus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2012.1. Listed by: S. Mickleburgh, AM Hutson, W. Bergmans, FPD Cotterill, M. Griffin, D. Jacobs, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2012.