Scotophilus nigrita (Schreber 1774)

[Vespertilio] nigrita Schreber 1774, Die Saugethiere, Vol. 1: 171.

Type Locality: Senegal.

Vernacular Names: Giant House Bat.

Subspecies::

Subspecies Scotophilus nigrita subsp. nigrita Schreber 1774

Subspecies Scotophilus nigrita subsp. alvenslebeni Dalquest 1965

Distribution: Senegal to Sudan, E Dem. Rep. Congo, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique.

Conservation: IUCN 2003 and IUCN / SSC Action Plan (2001) – Lower Risk (nt).

Discussion: Reviewed by Robbins (1978) and Cotterill (1996). The identity of this species is clear and nigrita is the senior synonym of gigas. Many literature records of this species are in error due to taxonomic confusion surrounding the names nigrita, dinganii, leucogaster, and borbonicus; see Robbins (1978) and Robbins et al. (1985).