Black mastiff bat
{{Short description|Species of bat}}
{{speciesbox
| image = Molossus rufus Bat species (10.3897-zoologia.37.e36514) Figures 32–41.jpg
| name = Black mastiff bat
| status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Molossus
| species = rufus
| authority = É. Geoffroy, 1805
| synonyms = Molossus ater
| range_map = Molossus rufus map.png
| range_map_caption = Black mastiff bat range
}}
The black mastiff bat (Molossus rufus) is a bat species. It ranges from the northern region of South America (excluding Chile), most of Central America (excluding Belize) and parts of southern Mexico.
Taxonomy
The black mastiff bat was described as a new species in 1805 by French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire.{{cite journal|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48390755| page=155| journal=Annales du Muséum d'histoire naturelle|volume=6| last=Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire| first=É| title=Sur quelques chauve-souris d' Amérique formant une petite famille sous le nom de molossus|language=fr|trans-title=On some American bats forming a small family under the name of molossus}} The holotype had been collected in Cayenne, French Guiana.{{cite journal|title=Notes on the bats of the genus Molossus| last=Miller| first=G. S.| year=1913| journal=Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum| volume=46| issue=2013| page=88| doi=10.5479/si.00963801.46-2013.85| hdl=2027/hvd.32044107356982|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R8ErAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA88| hdl-access=free}}
Description
Males have a forearm length ranging from {{cvt|48.5-54.0|mm|in}} and females' forearm lengths are {{cvt|47-53|mm|in}}. The fur of its back is usually shorter than {{cvt|3.5|mm|in}}.{{cite book| last=Gardner| first=A. L.| year=2008| publisher=University of Chicago Press| volume=1| title=Mammals of South America, Volume 1: Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and Bats|pages=419–426| isbn=978-0226282428| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbU3d7EUCm8C}} Individuals weight {{cvt|27-31|g|oz}}. It has a dental formula of {{DentalFormula|upper=1.1.1.3|lower=1.1.2.3}} for a total of 26 teeth.{{cite book| editor1-last=Ceballos| editor1-first= G.|first1= Mery| last1= Santos G.| first2= Ivan| last2= Castro-Arellano| date=2014| title= Mammals of Mexico| publisher= Johns Hopkins University Press| pages=770–771|isbn=978-1421408798}}
Range and habitat
The black mastiff bat is a widespread species, occurring throughout much of Central and South America. Its range includes the following countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. Its habitat includes forests and shrublands, with human structures used as roosts.
Conservation
As of 2015, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this classification because it has a wide geographic range; its population is presumably large; and it is unlikely to be experiencing rapid population decline. The species is known to be impacted by the polyctenid parasitic bug Hesperoctenes fumarius.{{Cite journal|last1=Esbérard|first1=Carlos E. L.|last2=Jesus|first2=Andrea C.|last3=Motta|first3=Adarene G.|last4=Bergallo|first4=Helena G.|last5=Gettinger|first5=Donald|date=April 2005|title=Hesperoctenes fumarius (Hemiptera: Polyctenidae) Infesting Molossus rufus (Chiroptera: Molossidae) in Southeastern Brazil|url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1694&context=parasitologyfacpubs|journal=Journal of Parasitology|volume=91|issue=2|pages=465–467|doi=10.1645/GE-365R|pmid=15986628|s2cid=28877685|issn=0022-3395|url-access=subscription}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Molossidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1830633}}
Category:Mammals described in 1805
Category:Bats of Central America