We describe a species of Chaerephon (Molossidae) new to science from western Madagascar. This bat differs from the other two Chaerephon occurring on the island and from comparably sized African and Asian Chaerephon based on measurements, pelage and wing coloration, and cranial and dental characters. Chaerephon sp. nov. occurs at three sites in the drier western portion of the island. We also provide some natural history and distributional information on other Malagasy members of this family.
LITERATURE CITED
J. A. Allen
1917. The American Museum Congo expedition collection of bats. Part I. Systematic list. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 37: 405–196. Google Scholar
P. J. J. Bates
, and
D. L. Harrison
.
1997. Bats of the Indian subcontinent. Harrison Zoological Museum, Kent, England, xvi + 258 pp. Google Scholar
F. J. Bonaccorso
1998. Bats of Papua New Guinea. Conservation International, Washington, D.C., 489 pp. Google Scholar
S. G. Cardiff
, and
I. Befourouack
.
2003. The Ankarana Special Reserve. Pp. 1501–1507,
in
The natural history of Madagascar (
S. M. Goodman and
J. P. Benstead, eds.)
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, xxi + 1709 pp. Google Scholar
F. P. D. Cotterill
2001. Further notes on large Afrotropical free-tailed bats of the genus Tadarida (Molossidae: Mammalia). Arnoldia Zimbabwe, 10 (18): 199–210. Google Scholar
J. L. Eger
, and
L. Mtchell
.
2003. Chiroptera, bats. Pp. 1287–1298,
in
The natural history of Madagascar (
S. M. Goodman and
J. P. Benstead, eds.)
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, xxi + 1709 pp. Google Scholar
J. L. Eger
, and
R. L. Peterson
.
1979. Distribution and systematic relationships of Tadarida bivittata and Tadarida ansorgei (Chiroptera: Molossidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 57: 1887–1895. Google Scholar
M. B. Fenton
, and
J. L. Eger
.
2002. Chaerephon chapini. Mammalian Species, 696: 1–2. Google Scholar
P. W. Freeman
1981. A multivariate study of the family Molossidae (Mammalia: Chiroptera): Morphology, ecology, evolution. Fieldiana: Zoology (N.S.), 7: 1–173. Google Scholar
S. M. Goodman
,
O. Langrand
, and
C. J. Raxworthy
.
1993. The food habits of the Barn Owl Tyto alba at three sites on Madagascar. Ostrich, 64: 160–71. Google Scholar
S. M. Goodman,
D. Andriafidison,
R. Andrianaivoarivelo,
S. G. Cardiff,
E. Ifticene,
R. K. B. Jenkins,
A. Kofoky,
T. Mbonoahy,
D. Rakotondravony,
J. Ranivo,
F. Ratrimomanarivo,
J. Razafimanahaka, and
P. A. Racey
In press. The distribution and conservation of bats in the dry regions of Madagascar. Animal Conservation. Google Scholar
D. L. Harrison
1975. A new species of African free-tailed bat (Chiroptera: Molossidae) obtained by the Zaire River Expedition. Mammalia, 39: 313–318. Google Scholar
R. W. Hayman
, and
J. E. Hill
.
1971. The mammals of Africa. An identification manual. Part 2. Order Chiroptera. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 1–73 pp. Google Scholar
J. E. Hill
1974. New records of bats from southeastern Asia, with taxonomic notes. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Zoology), 27: 127–138. Google Scholar
J. Kingdon
1974. East African mammals. An atlas of evolution in Africa. Vol. II, Part A (insectivores and bats). Academic Press, London, xi + 341 pp. Google Scholar
K. F. Koopman
1994. Chiroptera: systematics. Pp. 1–217,
in
Handbuch der Zoologie, Vol. VIII, Mammalia, Part 60 (
J. Niethammer,
H. Schliemann, and
D. Starck
, eds.).
Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, vii + 217 pp. Google Scholar
R. L. Peterson
,
J. L. Eger
, and
L. Mtchell
.
1995. Chiroptères. Vol. 84. Faune de Madagascar. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 204 pp. Google Scholar
I. H. Rasolozaka
1994. Les micro-chiroptères. Pp. 64–67,
in
Inventaire biologique, Forêt de Zombitse (
S. M. Goodman and
O. Langrand, eds.).
Recherches pour le Développement, Série Sciences Biologiques, Spécial, Centre d'Information et de Documentation Scientifique et Technique, Antananarivo, 106 pp. Google Scholar
I. L. Rautenbach
,
D. A. Schlitter
, and
L. E. O. Braack
.
1984. New distributional records of bats for the Republic of South Africa, with special reference to the Kruger National Park. Koedoe, 27: 131–135. Google Scholar
N. B. Simmons
In press. Order Chiroptera.
In
Mammal species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference, 3rd edition (
D. E. Wilson and
D. M. Reeder, eds.).
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
P. J. Taylor
1999. Problems with the identification of southern African Chaerephon (Molossidae), and the possibility of a cryptic species from South Africa and Swaziland. Acta Chiropterologica, 1: 191–200. Google Scholar
P. J. Taylor
2000. Bats of southern Africa. University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg, vii + 206 pp. Google Scholar
O. Thomas
1903. Three new species of Nyctinomus. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 12 (7): 501–505. Google Scholar
C. K. R. Willis
,
J. M. Psyllakis
, and
D. J. H. Sleep
.
2002. Chaerephon nigeriae. Mammalian Species, 710: 1–3. Google Scholar
