Mops nanulus

84.

Dwarf Free-tailed Bat

Mops nanulus

French: Tadaride naine / German: Zwerg-Bulldogfledermaus / Spanish: Mops nano

Other common names: Dwarf Mops Bat

Taxonomy. Mops (Allomops) nanulus J. A. Allen, 1917,

“Niangara, Belgian Congo [= north-eastern DR Congo].”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. From Sierra Leone and Guinea patchily across the Congo Basin to South Sudan, WC Ethiopia, and W Kenya.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c¢.56-59 mm, tail 19-29 mm, ear 11-18 mm, hindfoot 6-10 mm, forearm 27-31 mm; weight 6-11 g. Fur is short, extending dorsally over most of rump but not quite reaching uropatagium, leaving naked patch on rump and flanks; it varies from bright orange brown to blackish brown, with no grizzling or spots, and rump has two tufts of long hairs; underside with flanks brown, belly pale reddish brown, yellowish brown or brownish gray with mid-ventral markings white, pale yellowish brown or pale gray, flank-stripe slightly darker. Upper lip has 5-6 well-defined wrinkles on each side and many spoon-hairs. Wings are whitish or brownish and translucent, and uropatagium is brown. Ears are blackish and relatively short (extending halfway along muzzle when laid flat), inner margins of ears joined across forehead by V-shaped interaural band of skin without pouch or erectile crest. Tragusis very small, pointed, and concealed by antitragus, which is large and roughly trapezoid. Anterior palate has narrow emargination, and basisphenoid pits are shallow. As is typical for Mops, cusps on M? are V-shaped rather than N-shaped (i.e. with third ridge being much reduced). Chromosomal complement has 2n = 48 and FNa = 54.

Habitat. Rainforest-savanna mosaic habitats in West Africa and the Congo Basin, and Afromontane or Afroalpine forest-grassland mosaic habitats in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. In Kenya, pregnant and lactating females were found in late August.

Activity patterns. Dwarf Free-tailed Bats are nocturnal, and roost in thatched huts and tree hollows.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Dwarf Free-tailed Bats roost communally in small colonies.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. ACR (2017), Grubb et al. (1998), Happold, D.C.D. (1987), Happold, M. (2013al), Monadjem, Bergmans, Mickleburgh & Hutson (2017b), Monadjem, Taylor et al. (2010).