Mimetillus moloneyi (Thomas 1891)

[Vesperugo] moloneyi Thomas 1891, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, 7: 528.

Type Locality: Nigeria, Western Region, Lagos.

Vernacular Names: Moloney's Mimic Bat.

Subspecies::

Subspecies Mimetillus moloneyi subsp. moloneyi Thomas 1891

Subspecies Mimetillus moloneyi subsp. thomasi Hinton 1920

Distribution: Sierra Leone east to Ethiopia and Kenya, Tanzania south to Mozambique, west to Zambia, S Dem. Rep. Congo, and Angola; no records have been documented in the central Congo Basin.

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

Discussion: Cotterill (2001 c) suggested that thomasi represents a distinct, large-bodied, savanna-dwelling species ( moloneyi being a strict forest-dwelling species characterized by smaller size). However, additional locality and morphometric data indicate a more complex pattern (J. Fahr, pers. comm.). Accordingly, I have chosen to treat these taxa as conspecific pending a thorough revision.