Malagasy yellow bat
| Western yellow bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Scotophilus |
| Species: | S. tandrefana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Scotophilus tandrefana Goodman, Jenkins & Ratrimomanarivo, 2005
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| Range map | |
The western yellow bat (Scotophilus tandrefana) is a species of vesper bat endemic to Madagascar.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 2005. The holotype had been collected in 2003 just outside the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve in Madagascar. Its species name "tandrefana" is Malagasy for "from the west".[2]
Description
It has a forearm length of approximately 47 mm (1.9 in), a tail length of 46 mm (1.8 in), and an ear length of 13 mm (0.51 in). The holotype weighed 14.2 g (0.50 oz). The fur of its back is dark brown, while its belly fur is a medium shade of brown.[2] It uses echolocation to navigate and find prey: it utilizes steep frequency-modulated echolocation (FM) as well as that of a quasi-constant frequency (QCF). Its echolocation reaches maximum energy around 48.2 kHz. Minimum frequency is 42.2 kHz, while maximum frequency is 91.2 kHz.[3]
Conservation
As of 2019, it is listed as a data deficient species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this classification because only a few individuals have ever been documented and no data is available regarding its population size or the threats the species faces.[1]
References
- ^ a b Jenkins, R.K.B.; Rakotoarivelo, A.R.; Ratrimomanarivo, F.H.; Cardiff, S.G. (2019). "Scotophilus tandrefana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T136675A22039268.
- ^ a b Goodman, S. M.; Jenkins, R. K.; Ratrimomanarivo, F. H. (2005). "A review of the genus Scotophilus (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) on Madagascar, with the description of a new species". Zoosystema. 27 (4): 875–879.
- ^ Kofoky, Amyot F.; Randrianandrianina, Felicien; Russ, Jon; Raharinantenaina, Irma; Cardiff, Scott G.; Jenkins, Richard K. B.; Racey, Paul A. (2009). "Forest Bats of Madagascar: Results of Acoustic Surveys". Acta Chiropterologica. 11 (2): 375–392. doi:10.3161/150811009X485602.