Mops (Mops) niangarae J. A. Allen 1917

Mops (Mops) niangarae J. A. Allen 1917, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 37: 468.

Type Locality: Dem. Rep. Congo, Oriental, Niangara.

Vernacular Names: Niangaran Free-tailed Bat.

Distribution: Dem. Rep. Congo (known only from the holotype).

Conservation: IUCN 2003 and IUCN / SSC Action Plan (2001) – Critically Endangered.

Discussion: Subgenus Mops . Peterson (1972) included this species in trevori, while Hayman and Hill (1971) listed it as a subspecies of Tadarida congica (= Mops congicus). Freeman (1981) found that holotype skull differed significantly from skulls of both trevori and congicus, and therefore retained niangarae a distinct species. I follow this treatment pending a more formal revision of the trevori / congicus complex.