Madagascar's Bats
Bats are one of the major components of the indigenous mamals of Madagascar inside the order Chiroptera. They are separated in two different suborders:
- Yinpterochiroptera, contains the families : Pteropodidae, Hipposideridae, and Rhinonycteridae
- Yangochiroptera, contains the families : Emballonuridae, Nycteridae, Myzopodidae, Molossidae, Vespertilionidae, and Miniopteridae.
Forty-six (46) species of bats have so far been recorded on Madagascar, of which thirty-seven (37) are endemic to the island. However, new species continue to be discovered.
Information on geographical distribution for each species and other name combination (synonyms) used in the relatively recent literature are presented in the list.
According of the IUCN Red List of Species, Six (06) species were found to be threatened:
- one (01) Endangered
- three (03) Vulnerable
- and two (02) Near Threatened.
List and classifications of the bats of Madagascar
| N | Order | Family | Species | Common name | Distribution - Habitat | Red List | Synonyms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiroptera (Yinpterochiroptera) | Pteropodidae | Eidolon dupreanum* | Madagascar straw-colored fruit bat | Madagascar | VU | Eidolon helvum dupreanum |
| 2 | Chiroptera (Yinpterochiroptera) | Pteropodidae | Pteropus rufus* | Madagascar flying fox | Madagascar | VU | |
| 3 | Chiroptera (Yinpterochiroptera) | Pteropodidae | Rousettus madagascariensis* | Madagascar rousette | Madagascar | NT | Rousettus lanosus madagascariensis |
| 4 | Chiroptera (Yinpterochiroptera) | Hipposideridae | Macronycteris commersoni* | Commerson's leaf-nosed bat | Madagascar | NT | Hipposideros commersoni |
| 5 | Chiroptera (Yinpterochiroptera) | Hipposideridae | Macronycteris cryptovalorona* | Cryptic Leaf-nosed Bat | Madagascar | NA | Hipposideros cryptovalorona/ commersoni |
| 6 | Chiroptera (Yinpterochiroptera) | Rhinonycteridae | Paratriaenops auritus* | Grandidier's trident bat | Madagascar | VU | Triaenops auritus |
| 7 | Chiroptera (Yinpterochiroptera) | Rhinonycteridae | Paratriaenops furculus* | Trouessart's trident bat | Madagascar | LC | Triaenops furculus |
| 8 | Chiroptera (Yinpterochiroptera) | Rhinonycteridae | Triaenops menamena* | Rufous trident bat | Madagascar | LC | Triaenops rufus/ humbloti |
| 9 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Emballonuridae | Paremballonura atrata* | Peter's sheath tailed bat | Madagascar | LC | Emballonura atrata |
| 10 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Emballonuridae | Paremballonura tiavato* | Western sheath-tailed bat | Madagascar | LC | Emballonura tiavato |
| 11 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Emballonuridae | Coleura kibomalandy* | Madagascar sheath-tailed ba | Madagascar | NA | Coleura afra |
| 12 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Emballonuridae | Taphozous mauritianus | Mauritian tomb bat | M.car, Africa,Western Indian Ocean Islands | LC | Taphozous leucopterus/ T. dobsoni |
| 13 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Nycteridae | Nycteris madagascariensis* | Madagascar Slit-faced Bat | Madagascar | DD | Nycteris thebaica madagascariensis |
| 14 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Myzopodidae | Myzopoda aurita* | Eastern Sucker-footed bat | Madagascar | LC | |
| 15 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Myzopodidae | Myzopoda schliemanni* | Western Sucker-footed bat | Madagascar | LC | |
| 16 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Molossidae | Chaerephon atsinanana* | Atsinanana little free-tailed bat | Madagascar | NA | Chaerephon limbatus/tadarida pumilus |
| 17 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Molossidae | Chaerephon jobimena* | Black and red free-tailed bat | Madagascar | LC | |
| 18 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Molossidae | Chaerephon leucogaster | Grandidier's free-tailed bat | M.car/Africa | NA | Chaerephon/ Nyctinomus limbatus, tadarida leucogaster |
| 19 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Molossidae | Mops leucostigma | Malagasy white-bellied free-tailed bat | M.car/Comore | LC | Chaerephon leucostigma/tadarida condylura |
| 20 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Molossidae | Mops midas | Midas free-tailed bat | M.car/Africa | LC | Tadarida midas |
| 21 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Molossidae | Mormopterus jugularis* | Peter's goblin bat | Madagascar | LC | Mormopterus albiventer, tadarida jugularis |
| 22 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Molossidae | Otomops madagascariensis* | Madagascar free-tailed bat | Madagascar | LC | Otomops martiensseni madagascariensis |
| 23 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Molossidae | Tadarida fulminans | Large free-tailed bat | M.car/Africa | LC | Mops miarensi, Nyctinomus fulminans |
| 24 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Hypsugo bemainty* | Dark Madagascar pipistrelle | Madagascar | NA | Hypsugo anchietae |
| 25 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Myotis goudoti* | Malagasy mouse-eared bat | Madagascar | LC | |
| 26 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Neoromicia malagasyiensis* | Isalo serotine | Madagascar | EN | Eptesicus capensis, E. somalicus malagasyensis |
| 27 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Neoromicia matroka* | Malagasy serotine | Madagascar | LC | Eptesicus humbloti, E. matroka, E. pisillus |
| 28 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Neoromicia melckorum* | Melck's house bat | Madagascar | NA | Neoromicia capensis, N. cf. melckorum |
| 29 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Pipistrellus hesperidus | The dusky pipistrelle bat | M.car/Africa | LC | Pipistrellus kuhlii, Vespertilio humbloti |
| 30 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Pipistrellus raceyi* | Racey's pipistrelle bat | Madagascar | DD | |
| 31 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Scotophilus borbonicus | The lesser yellow bat | M.car/La Reunion | LC | |
| 32 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Scotophilus marovaza* | Marovaza house bat | Madagascar | LC | |
| 33 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Scotophilus robustus* | The robust yellow bat | Madagascar | LC | Scotophilus nigrite robustus |
| 34 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Vespertilionidae | Scotophilus tandrefana* | The western yellow bat | Madagascar | DD | |
| 35 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus aelleni* | M.car/Comore | NA | Miniopterus manavi | |
| 36 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus ambohitrensis* | Montagne d'Ambre long-fingered bat | Madagascar | NA | Miniopterus aelleni, M. manavi |
| 37 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus brachytragos | Madagascar | NA | Miniopterus manavi | |
| 38 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus egeri* | Eger's long-fingered bat | Madagascar | NA | |
| 39 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus gleni* | Glen's long-fingered bat | Madagascar | LC | |
| 40 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus griffthsi* | Griffith's long-fingered bat | Madagascar | NA | |
| 41 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus grivaeaudi | Greater long-fingered bat | M.car/Comore | DD | Miniopterus manavi, M. minor griveaudi |
| 42 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus mahafaliensis* | Madagascar | NA | Miniopterus manavi | |
| 43 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus majori* | Major's long-fingered bat | Madagascar | LC | |
| 44 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus manavi* | Manavi long-fingered bat | Madagascar | LC | Miniopterus minor manavi |
| 45 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus petersoni* | Peterson's long-fingered bat | Madagascar | DD | |
| 46 | Chiroptera (Yangochiroptera) | Miniopteridae | Miniopterus sororculus* | Sororcula long-fingered bat | Madagascar | LC | Miniopterus fraterculus |
IUCN Red List:
CR: Critically Endangered (The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild)
EN: Endangered (The species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild)
VU: Vulnerable (The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild)
NT: Near Threatened (The species does not currently qualify as being at high risk of extinction but it is likely to do so in the future)
LC: Least Concern (The species is not currently at risk of extinction in the wild)
DD: Data Deficient (There is inadequate information to assess the risk of extinction for this species)
NE: Not yet Evaluated
Distribution
* : Endemic species
**: Introduced species