African trident bat
The African trident bat (Triaenops afer) is a species of bat found in Africa.
| African trident bat | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Hipposideridae |
| Genus: | Triaenops |
| Species: | T. afer |
| Binomial name | |
| Triaenops afer Peters, 1877 | |
| Synonyms | |
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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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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