81.

Congo Free-tailed Bat

Mops congicus

French: Tadaride de Medje / German: Kongo-Bulldogfledermaus / Spanish: Mops del Congo

Other common names: Medje Free-tailed Bat, Medje Greater Free-tailed Bat, Medje Mops Bat

Taxonomy. Mops congicusJ. A. Allen, 1917,

“Medje, Belgian Congo [= DR Congo].”

Mops congicus previously included M. trevori as a subspecies. Monotypic.

Distribution. Patchily in C Africa from S Cameroon E into N DR Congo and W Uganda.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c.91-94 mm, tail 39-58 mm, ear 21-28 mm, hindfoot 13-17 mm, forearm 54-58 mm; weight 42-64 g. Fur is short, quite sparse becoming absent on rump and flanks, brown to almost black above, with isolated, pale hairs; variable below, with a strong wash of gray, brown or rusty, resulting in a mottled appearance, with no contrasting mid-ventral markings or flank-stripe. Upper lip has 7-8 well-defined wrinkles on each side and many spoon-hairs. Ears are blackish, thick, and leathery, not reaching snout when laid forward. There is a pronounced and well-defined dark patch behind and below the ear, more developed than in Trevor's Free-tailed Bat ( M. trevori). Inner margins of ears are joined across forehead by a thick interaural band with strong cartilaginous pocket-like support; it is unknown whether or not this contains an interaural crest. Tragus is minute, and concealed by antitragus, which is large and rounded dorsally, with a rather straight anterior edge. Wings are blackish brown. Anterior palate is closed and basisphenoid pits are deep and well developed. As is typical for Mops, cusps on M? are V-shaped rather than N-shaped—i.e. with third ridge being much reduced.

Habitat. Lowland rainforest, coastal forest, and rainforest-savanna mosaic vegetation.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Pregnant females have been recorded in September in north-eastern DR Congo and in March in western Uganda. Where noted, pregnant females had a single embryo.

Activity patterns. Congo Free-tailed Bats are nocturnal and, based on the finding of the type series, roost in hollow trees.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Based on the type series, Congo Free-tailed Bats roost communally.

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

Bibliography. ACR (2017), Kingdon (1974), Lang & Chapin (1917b), Monadjem, Fahr, Hutson et al. (2017¢), Peterson (1972).