318.

Ethiopian Woolly Bat

Kerivoula eriophora

French: Kérivoule d’Ethiopie / German: Athiopien-Wollfledermaus / Spanish: Querivoula de Etiopia

Taxonomy. Nycticejus eriophorus Heuglin, 1877,

between Semian and Wogara, Belegaz Valley, Begemdir province, Ethiopia.

Kerivoula eriophora is known from only three specimens collected prior to 1877 (holotype is lost), and its status as a valid species needs additional confirmation. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from type locality in N Ethiopia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢. 53 mm, tail 32 mm, ear 13 mm, hindfoot 6-7 mm (one specimen), forearm ¢. 28-32 mm. Furis frizzled. Dorsal pelage is pale earth gray, with white-tipped hairs; venter is dirty white, becoming more grayish brown on flanks. Pelage of syntype does not seem frosted; hairs are bicolored, medium brown with rather long whitish tips. Wings and uropatagium are blackish brown. Posterior margin of uropatagium has comblike fringe of hairs. Ears are funnelshaped, with pointed tips; tragusis long, thin, and sharply pointed. Skull of syntype is damaged. I* is tricuspid, with one small cusp arising from cingulum and another minute one near tip of main cusp; I’ is more than one-half the height of 1%; P? and P* are subequal in size; and 1, is bicuspid.

Habitat. Scrub of Erica arborea (Ericaceae) — Hypericum revolutum ( Hypericaceae), now highly degraded by cereal agriculture.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Three known specimens of the Ethiopian Woolly Bat were found in the hanging nest of a sparrow or species of weaver.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Yalden (2013c), Yalden et al. (1996).