Egyptian grave bat
| Egyptian grave bat | ||||||||||||
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Egyptian burial bat ( Taphozous perforatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Taphozous perforatus | ||||||||||||
| É. Geoffroy , 1818 |
The Egyptian burial bat ( Taphozous perforatus ) is a species in the genus of burial bats that occurs in large parts of Africa and in south-west Asia . The species epithet refers to the tail that pierces the tail fly skin. However, this feature occurs in all representatives of the same family . The type specimen of the species was found in Egypt , which explains the first part of the German name.
features
The Egyptian grave bat becomes 95 to 108 mm long with tail, the tail length is 22 to 30 mm and the weight is 23.4 to 33.2 g. The species has forearms 62 to 63 mm long, hind feet 13 to 15 mm long and ears 15 to 20 mm long. While populations in northern Africa have a gray-brown fur on top, specimens in the south of the continent are dark brown on the back. The underside is covered with lighter brown fur with gray or white shades in places due to the light hair tips. On the underside of the wings, near the body, there is a stripe with hair. Depending on the population, the flight membranes are black to dark brown or white in the outer areas. The species has the family -typical sac -shaped glands in the upper area of the wings, but unlike the Mauritius grave bat , males have no glands on their throats.
distribution
This bat is found mainly along the Nile and in eastern Africa. Scattered populations live in western Africa south of the Sahara , on the Arabian Peninsula and eastward to India . The species can be found in the lowlands up to a height of 200 meters. It lives in open tree populations and can also be found in Asia in forests with thorny plants. In general, it stays away from dense forests as well as semi-deserts and deserts.
Way of life
The Egyptian grave bat rests during the day in caves, crevices, buildings and other man-made structures. Even in caves, the species does not hang freely from the ceiling like the Mauritius grave bat, but instead looks for darker crevices. The species forms colonies that can have about 10 to several thousand members. Often the night quarters are in the vicinity of watercourses. The resting place is occasionally shared with mouse-tailed bats ( Rhinopoma ). At night it usually hunts near groups of palm trees or gardens. According to a 1997 study, butterflies represent about half of the prey. Beetles , termites and other insects are also eaten.
Almost nothing is known about reproduction. Two pregnant females with one embryo each were registered in Zimbabwe in November .
status
The species is regionally threatened by deforestation in connection with the establishment of new agricultural areas or mining. Occurrences in protected areas are only known from Africa. In general, the population of the Egyptian grave bat is assessed by the IUCN as stable and the species is listed as Least Concern .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 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, Taphozous perforatus ).
- ↑ a b c d e Skinner & Chimimba: The Mammals of the Southern African Sub-region . Cambridge University Press, 2005, pp. 275-276 ( Taphozous perforatus ).
- ↑ a b Taphozous perforatus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2017. Posted by: Monadjem, A., Molur, S., Hutson, AM, Amr, ZSS, Kock, D., Mickleburgh, S. & Bergmans, W. , 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2019.