Nycteris arge Thomas, 1903

Mongombe, Aaron Manga, Fils, Eric Moise Bakwo & Tamesse, Joseph Lebel, 2020, Annotated checklist of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of Mount Cameroon, southwestern Cameroon, Zoosystema 42 (24), pp. 483-514 : 502-503

Nycteris arge Thomas, 1903

Nycteris arge Thomas, 1903: 633 .

COMMON NAME. — English: Bates’s Slit-faced Bat. French: Nyctère de Bates.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 10 specimens.

Mount Cameroon area • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Malende swamp area; 4°21’00”N, 9°26’00”E; 50 m; 8.XII.1938; Martin Eisentraut leg.; SMNS 6569, 8160, ZFMK 1961.0648, 0649; ZFMK 1973.0193 • 1 ♀, 2 ♂; Mubenge-Isongo; 4°04’44”N, 9°01’26”E; 5 m; 9.III.1938; Martin Eisentraut leg.; SMNS 3449, 5588, 5589 .

Other localities of Cameroon. Bitye • 1 ♀; 3°01’00”N, 12°22’00”E; 616 m; Bates George Latimer, Rosenberg G leg.; ZMB 33342 • Bipindi • 1 specimen; 3°05’00”N, 10°25’00”E; 184 m; Zenker Georg August leg.; ZMB 53848 .

ORIGINAL DATA. — Our recent field surveys did not yield any specimen attributed to this species.

HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION. — This species is widely distributed over much of West and Central Africa from Sierra Leone in the West, through the Congo Basin to East Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nycteris arge is predominantly a lowland rainforest inhabitant, although in southern Africa it can be encountered in forest edges ( Monadjem et al. 2010). It roosts singly or in small groups in hollow cavities of trees with large trunks, especially trees with opening near the ground ( Happold 1987). According to Rosevear (1965), this species forages in forest clearing and may enter houses to hunt insects attracted to strong light. This species has been listed to occur on Mount Cameroon ( Van Cakenberghe & De Vree 1985).