Taphozous perforatus, E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 351

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.3740269

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3810761

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D587F2-FFCD-4C06-FF0B-3AFCF27EF58F

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Taphozous perforatus
status

 

2 View On . Egyptian Tomb Bat

Taphozous perforatus View in CoL

French: Taphien perforé I German: Ägyptische Grabfledermaus / Spanish: Tafozo egipcio

Other common names: African Taphozous, Geoffrey'sTomb Bat, LesserTomb Bat, PerforatedTaphozous Bat

Taxonomy. Taphozous perforatus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818 View in CoL ,

Royal Tomb, Kom Ombo, Nile Valley , Egypt.

Taphozous perforatus is in the subgenus Taphozous . Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

. p. perforatus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818 — Nile Valley in Egypt and N Sudan.

. p. haedinusThomas, 1915 - Middle East (Israel, Arabian Peninsula, and S Iran) E to India, and E Africa from Djibouti to Kenya (including Lamu I) and Tanzania; it may also occur in Eritrea.

. p. senegalensis Desmarest, 1820 - scattered localities in W Africa, from S Mauritania, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau E to NW Nigeria and W Cameroon; it may occur in Guinea and Ivory Coast.

. p. sudani Thomas, 1915 — C & S Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and S through the Congo Basin to N & E Botswana, S Zimbabwe, and NE South Africa. View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head—body 71—85 mm, tail 22—30 mm, ear 15—20 mm, hindfoot 13—15 mm, forearm 54-67 mm; weight 23—33 mm. Dorsum of the Egyptian Tomb Bat is mousy gray, pale ash-brown (North Africa), or dark brown (Southern Africa). Throat and beard are buff, and gular pouch is present.

Habitat. Primarily open woodland lowlands including Acacia (Fabaceae) and other types of thorn forest. The Egyptian Tomb Bat will forage in anthropomorphic settings including palm groves and gardens.

Food and Feeding. Fecal material from Egyptian Tomb Bats in Ethiopia contained Lepidoptera (56%), Isoptera (14%), Coleoptera (10%), Orthoptera (8%), Hemiptera (3%), Neuroptera (2%), Diptera (1%), Hymenoptera (1%), and unidentified insect parts (5%).

Breeding. Egyptian Tomb Bats are polyestrous and capable of becoming pregnant twice a year. Females have been found simultaneously lactating and pregnant. Gravid females have been found in November in south-eastern Zimbabwe, each with a single fetus in the right uterine hom.

Activity patterns. Egyptian Tomb Bats roost in rocky outcrops, stone buildings, wells, tunnels, and tombs.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In southern Africa, Egyptian Tomb Bats typically roost in tight clusters of 6-8 individuals deep in protected crevices of rocky outcrops, cracks or gaps in stone or concrete buildings, or deep cave recesses. In West Africa, colonies of hundreds of individuals form day roosts.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on TheIUCNRed List. The Egyptian Tomb Bat has a large distribution and presumably large and stable overall population. It is present in many protected areas including Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa. No direct conservation measures are currently needed; however, it has not been recorded in protected areas in Pakistan or India. Being little studied, research on its distribution, abundance, reproduction, and ecology is needed.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Bates, Harrison & Muni (1994a, 1994 b, 1994c), Bhat & Sreenivasan (1990), Brosset (1963), Harrison (1962), Harrison & Bates (1991), Hayman & Hill (1971), Koopman (1993), Meester eta/. (1986), Molur eta/. (2002), Rosevear (1965), Rydell & Yalden (1997), Skinner & Chimimba (2005), Smithers &Wilson (1979).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Chiroptera

Family

Emballonuridae

Genus

Taphozous

Loc

Taphozous perforatus

Bonaccorso, Frank 2019
2019
Loc

Taphozous perforatus

E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1818
1818
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