117.

Moloney’s Mimic Bat

Mimetillus moloneyi

French: Mimétille de Moloney / German: Moloney-Schmalfligelfledermaus / Spanish: Mimétilo de Moloney

Other common names: Moloney's Flat-headed Bat, Moloney's Flat-headed Vesper Bat

Taxonomy. Vesperugo (Vesperus) moloneyi Thomas, 1891,

“ Lagos, West Africa [= Nigeria].”

Phylogenetic relationship of Mimetillus to other genera of Vespertilioniniis still uncertain. As currently recognized, there may be multiple species included within M. moloneyi and subspecies thomasi has been recognized as a distinct species on morphological grounds. Race berneri has been treated also as a synonym of thomas. However, a full revision of the validity of the recognized subspecies is pending and only a single species is recognized tentatively. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

M.m.moloney:Thomas,1891—scatteredfromSEGuineaandSierraLeoneEtoSWEthiopia,Kenya,andNETanzania(includingBiokoI),andStoNWAngolaandextremeWDRCongo.

M.m.berneriMonard,1933—endemictotheAngolanPlateau.

M. m. thomas: Hinton, 1920 — SE DR Congo, S Tanzania, Zambia, and S Mozambique.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c¢.51-63 mm, tail 23-32 mm, ear 9-14 mm, hindfoot 5-9 mm, forearm 27-31 mm; weight 5:5-10 g. Fur of Moloney’s Mimic Bat is velvety; dorsally and ventrally dark chocolatebrown to almost black, with unicolored hairs. Ears are blackish, naked, short (compared to other vespertilionids), and pointed, with short, mushroom-shaped tragus. Muzzle is broad and has large glands in sexually active individuals. Wings are dark brown to black, extremely short, and narrow. Finger-wing is translucent. Phalanges of third, fourth, and fifth fingers are relatively short. Legs are very short and tail is long. Penis is long, without evidence of a baculum. Braincase is flattened, rostrum shortened and broad, with well-developed supraorbital tubercles, and pronounced postorbital constriction; sagittal crest is very low. Wing loading is higher than in any other vespertilionid, except Leisler’s Noctule ( Nyctalus leisleri). 1° is comparatively long and lateral to I*; C' has no secondary cusp; and P* exceeds height of molars. Dental formula 1512/3, C1/1, P1722, M 3/3 (#2) = 32.

Habitat. Nominate moloney: inhabits forest-savanna mosaic and savanna habitats; it has been recorded in lowland rainforest, coastal forest, montane forests, mangroves, forest-savanna mosaics, Acacia (Fabaceae) — Commiphora (Burseraceae) bushland and thicket, and Isoberlinia (Fabaceae) woodland. It apparently prefers edge of rainforest from which it penetrates into forest-savanna mosaics and woodlands. Reported to elevations of up to 2300 m. Race thomas: mostly inhabits savanna, but has been recorded from mopane and miombo woodlands, Cryptosepalum (Fabaceae) dry forest, and coastal forests in southern Tanzania. Race berneri also occurs in savanna habitats, with records from miombo woodland and montane forest-grassland mosaic on the Angolan Plateau.

Food and Feeding. Moloney’s Mimic Bat feeds on small winged termites, and perhaps other small to medium-sized flying insects.

Breeding. The little information available is indicative of a seasonal bimodal polyestry, but asynchronous breeding; more than two births per year cannot be discarded. Litter size 1s one.

Activity patterns. Moloney’s Mimic Bat leaves the roost to forage at dusk, with some bats returning to the day roost after 10-15 minutes. In Liberia, one bat with a full stomach was captured at 19:15 h. This speciesflies fast, without sudden turns, and with very fast wingbeats; it is not able to take off from ground, but climbs well. It roosts under bark of dead trees, in houses and roofs, and one was found roosting in a hollow in a baobab tree ( Adansonia digitata, Malvaceae). Predators include bat hawks (Macheiramphus alcinus).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Gabon, two colonies numbered 9-12 individuals. Reported ectoparasites include the mites Carios vespertilionis (Argasidae), Acanthophthirius mimetilli, Pteracarus mimetillus (both Myobiidae), and Notoedres mimetilli ( Sarcoptidae).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Brosset (1966b), Cotterill (2001¢), Fahr (2013x), Gallagher & Harrison (1977), Hill & Harrison (1987), Kingdon (1974), Lang & Chapin (1917a, 1917b).