286.

Livingstone’s Yellow Bat

Scotophilus livingstonii

French: Scotophile de Livingstone / German: Livingstone-Hausfledermaus / Spanish: Scotofilo de Livingston

Other common names: Livingstone's House Bat

Taxonomy. Scotophilus livingstonii Brooks & Bickham, 2014,

“ Kenya: Western Province, Kakamega District, Ikuywa River Bridge, 6.5 km 8S, 19 km E Rakamega (13°N, 34 55'E).”

Scotophilus livingstonii has been recovered in cytochrome-b analyses as two monophyletic lineages from Ghana and Kenya, differing from each other by 2-8%. These lineages also differed from S. dinganii by 5-5% and 5-2%, respectively, indicating that they might be distinct taxa. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from three localities in SE Ghana and SW Kenya, with a gap of ¢. 4000 km between them.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 74:3-89- 3 mm, tail 32-5-50- 6 mm, ear 9- 2-12 mm, hindfoot 9-9-12- 3 mm, forearm 51-7-55- 6 mm. Dorsal fur is reddish brown; venteris buff, with darker orange hue on throat and lower abdominalsides. Ears are separated and have rounded tips. Ventral plagiopatagium is hairy proximal to forearm. Dorsal plagiopatagium, uropatagium, dactylopatagium,tail, legs, and feet are naked. Skull is broad, with wide orbits; premaxillae are deeply notched and wide; sagittal crest is well developed; zygomatic arch is thin; vomer is wide; tympanic bullae are spherical and well developed; foramen magnum is round to slightly oval; and occipital condyles are well developed. All mandibular processes are well developed; coronoid process is triangular and points upward; and angular process extends to same level as mandibular condyle. I” is bilobed, with inner cusp longer than outer cusp; paracone of P* is much longer than metacone that is longer than hypocone; P* has similar diameter and metacone length as M' and M?. M' and M? are similar in size and structure, with triangular outline in occlusal view, and interior edge is shortest; metacone of M' and M? are similar in length to paracone, and both are longer than hypocone; M?is highly reduced, similar in appearance to metacone and proximal hypocone of M?, with ellipsoidal outline in occlusal view; lower incisors are small, with I, and I, poorly developed and bilobed; P, is shorter than C; and lower molars are similar in size and structure with trapezoid outline in occlusal view, exterior edge is shortest, and paracone is longer than metacone that is longer than hypocone.

Habitat. Probably savanna and woodland habitats.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Brooks & Bickham (2014), Trujillo et al. (2009).