Major's long-fingered bat
| Major's long-fingered bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Miniopteridae |
| Genus: | Miniopterus |
| Species: | M. majori |
| Binomial name | |
| Miniopterus majori Thomas, 1906 | |
 | |
| Major's long-fingered bat range | |
Major's long-fingered bat (Miniopterus majori) is a species of vesper bat in the family Miniopteridae. It is found only in Madagascar. It is similar to M. schreibersi of continental Africa, differing by having a shorter forearm, slightly longer digits and a narrow box-shaped skull. The pelage is often a greyish-brown colour, and the tragus is kidney-shaped and is a prominent feature. It is an insectivore and is viewed as a possible contributor to pest removal in Madagascar.[2] The species was named in honour of Swiss zoologist C. I. Forsyth Major.
Taxonomy
Miniopterus majori was described as a new species by Oldfield Thomas in 1906 with a type locality of Imasindrary, northeastern Betsileo, Madagascar. The holotype is held in the Natural History Museum, London.[3]
The species is assigned to the genus Miniopterus. Molecular studies of Malagasy Miniopterus have recovered M. majori as part of a lineage containing M. gleni and M. griffithsi, supporting its placement among the long-fingered bats.[4]
Historically, Miniopterus was placed within the family Vespertilionidae. Molecular research by provided evidence for recognising the long-fingered bats as a separate family, Miniopteridae.[3]
References
- ↑ Monadjem, A.; Rakotoarivelo, A.R.; Jenkins, R.K.B. (2017). "Miniopterus majori". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T40039A22061249. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T40039A22061249.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ↑ Kemp, James; López-Baucells, Adrià; Rocha, Ricardo; Wangensteen, Owen S.; Andriatafika, Zo; Nair, Abhilash; Cabeza, Mar (2019). "Bats as potential suppressors of multiple agricultural pests: A case study from Madagascar". Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 269: 88–96. Bibcode:2019AgEE..269...88K. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2018.09.027. hdl:2445/191614. S2CID 92389589.
- 1 2 "Miniopterus majori O. Thomas, 1906 | Major's Long-fingered Bat". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Christidis, Les; Goodman, Steven M.; Naughton, Kate; Appleton, Belinda (2014). "Insights into the evolution of a cryptic radiation of bats: dispersal and ecological radiation of Malagasy Miniopterus (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae)". PLOS ONE. 9 (3) e92440. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092440. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3958536. PMID 24642892.