124.

Tiny Serotine

Neoromicia guineensis

French: Vespere de Guinée / German: Guinea-Zwergfledermaus / Spanish: Neoromicia de Guinea

Other common names: Guinean Pipistrelle Bat, Guinea Serotine

Taxonomy. Vesperus guineensis Bocage, 1889,

Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

It has been suggested that guineensis belongs in Hypsugo . Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.g.guineensisBocage,1889—SenegalEtoCentralAfricanRepublic.

N. g. rectitragus Wettstein, 1916 — S Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and NE DR Congo.

Also recorded in S Republic of the Congo and S DR Congo, subspecies unknown.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.38-39 mm, tail 21-34 mm, ear 6-12 mm, hindfoot 6-11 mm, forearm 23-35 mm; weight 2-5 g. Pelage of the Tiny Serotine is soft and dense; dorsally dark rusty brown (bases darker than tips; mid-dorsal hairs 6-8 mm long) ventrally similar or slightly paler, sometimes speckled, with bicolored hairs. Wings are dark, sometimes with white hind border; interfemoral membrane is dark grayish brown. Ears are dark grayish brown, subtriangular, rounded at base, separated, and short; tragus is ¢.40% of ear length, broadest at mid-height, with anterior margin concave, posterior margin without abrupt angle, but with small triangular lobe at base, and rounded tip. Postcalcarial lobe has convex border. Skull is small compared to other African pipistrelle-like bats (greatest skull lengths 10-7-11-8 mm); relatively medium in braincase height and breadth, and interorbital region breadth; rostrum is low, comparatively short and narrow; profile of forehead is weakly concave, without occipital helmet. I* is large, bicuspid or conspicuously stepped; I* is small, less than one-half height of I?; P* is absent; lower molars are myotodont.

Habitat. In West Africa, woodland savannas, reaching the coast in some areas. Recorded near artificial waterhole in a mosaic of grassland and thicket, among savannatrees near rock cliffs, and in gardens, at elevations of 420-2166 m.

Food and Feeding. Tiny Serotines forage by slow hawking, perhaps over water.

Breeding. In Yendi, northern Ghana, two lactating females recorded in early November.

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. Hill & Harrison (1987), Horatek & Hanak (1986), Koch-Weser (1984), Kock (1969d), Koopman (1993, 1994), Simmons (2005), Van Cakenberghe & Happold (2013).