African trident bat

The African trident bat (Triaenops afer) is a species of bat found in Africa.

African trident bat
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Hipposideridae
Genus:	Triaenops
Species:	T. afer
Binomial name
Triaenops afer Peters, 1877
Synonyms
Triaenops persicus afer Peters, 1877 Triaenops persicus majusculus Aellen and Brosset, 1968

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1877 by German zoologist Wilhelm Peters.[2] It was considered a subspecies of the rufous trident bat from approximately 1963–2009, when morphological and genetic analyses showed that it was a distinct species.[3] Its species name "afer" is Latin for "African."

Biology and ecology

It is nocturnal, roosting in sheltered places during the day such as caves or abandoned mines. Roosts can consist of up to half a million individuals, as this is a colonial species.[1]

Range and habitat

It is the only member of its genus found in continental Africa. It has been documented in Eritrea, Mozambique, southwest Congo, and northwest Angola.[3]

References

1. Monadjem, A.; Shapiro, J. (2017). "Triaenops afer". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T81081036A95642225. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T81081036A95642225.en.
2. Peters, W. (1876). "Mittheilung über eine kleine Sammlung von Säugethieren, welche der Reisende Hr. JM Hildebrandt aus Mombaca in ostafrica eingesand hat". Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussische Akademie des Wissenschaften zu Berlin. 1876: 913.
3. Benda, P.; Vallo, P. (2009). "Taxonomic revision of the genus Triaenops (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) with description of a new species from southern Arabia and definitions of a new genus and tribe" (PDF). Folia Zoologica. 58 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-16. Retrieved 2018-03-10.