Taphozous nudiventris, Cretzschmar, 1830

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 351

1 . Naked-rumped Tomb

Bat Taphozous nudiventris

French: Taphien à ventre nu / German: Nacktbauch-Grabfledermaus I Spanish: Tafozo de vientre desnudo

Taxonomy. Taphozous nudiventris Cretzschmar, 1830 ,

Giza, Egypt .

Taphozous nudiventris is in the subgenus Liponycteris . Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

. n. nudiventris Cretzschmar, 1830 - N, W, C & E Africa, also in Israel, Palestine, and the Arabian Peninsula.

. n. magnus Wettstein, 1913 - Turkey, Iraq, and Bahrain.

. n. kachhensis Dobson, 1872 - South Asia in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

. n. nudaster Thomas, 1915-NWMyanmar; however, complete distribution is unknown.. n. zayidi D. L. Harrison, 1955 - Oman; however, complete distribution is unknown. Present also in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iran, but distributions of subspecies in SW & C Asia are only partially understood and clarification awaits future systematic resolution.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 83—105 mm, tail 22-46 mm, ear 20—23 mm, hindfoot 23-24 mm, forearm 70-80 mm; weight 30-35 g. Dorsal fur of the Naked-rumped Tomb Bat is gray-brown, dark brown, or sepia, with naked rump and lower abdomen. Venter is paler than dorsum. Males have well-developed glandular gular pouch and sternal gland on chest. Both sexes have radio-metacarpal sacs. Ears are separated and angular and have papillae along inner margins. Outer margin of ear almost reaches angle of mouth and has large antitragus. Tragus is hatchet-shaped, with large tubercle near base. Muzzle is cut-off squarely. Eyes are conspicuous. Wing and uropatagium are brown. Dental formula of all species of Taphozous is 11/2, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 30. Karyotype is 2n = 42, as is the case for the entire genus Taphozous .

Habitat. Arid to semiarid habitats, tropical forests, and wet evergreen forests. In northern Africa, the Naked-rumped Tomb Bat is found in Sudanian and Sahelian savanna zones where inselbergs (isolated hills) and rock crevices provide roost shelters. It is often associated with large water bodies.

Food and Feeding. The Naked-rumped Tomb Bat eats aerial beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, moths, and alate termites.

Breeding. Naked-rumped Tomb Bats are monoestrous. Females give birth to one young.

Activity patterns. The Naked-rumped Tomb Bat is nocturnal. It emerges to forage well after sunset. It roosts in cliff fissures, rock crevices, caves, tombs, temples, bams, houses, tree hollows, and tunnels.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Some populations ofNaked-rumped Tomb Bats migrate or hibernate in response to winter conditions. Fat reserves are deposited and seen under naked skin of rump. Fat deposition occurs at end of monsoon season when insects are most abundant in preparation for dry, winter conditions. Most roosts contain only a few individuals, but colony size can reach several hundred individuals, and up to 2000 were recorded in Pakistan. This species is frequently associated with and tolerant of humans and will share roost shelters with other species of bats.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on IUCN Red List. The Naked-rumped Tomb Bat has a large distribution and presumably large and stable overall population, and it is tolerant of habitat modification. It is common in some places but uncommon in western parts of its distribution. Colonies in Africa and the Mediterranean region are generally restricted to a few individuals, although colonies of dozens to hundreds occur in eastern Africa. It is common across South Asia, but a declining trend in Asian populations has been observed in recent years. International legal authorities for protection through the Bonn Convention of Eurobats are in place in participating countries ofEurope and Turkey. Nevertheless, no specific conservation measures are in place in much of its distribution, except where it occurs in protected areas. Investigation on impacts of pesticides is needed.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Bates, Harrison & Muni (1994a, 1994b, 1994 c), Bates, NweTin eta /. (2000), Brosset (1963), Darweesh et al. (1997), elten (1962), Francis (2008a), Happold (1987), Molur et al. (2002), Monadjem, Racey et al. (2017), Rosevear (1965).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Hamilton'sTomb Bat [Taphozous hamiltoni); 5. Hildegarde'sTomb Bat (Taphozous hildegardeae}; 6. Long-winged Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous longimanus); 7. Black-beardedTomb Bat (Taphozous melanopogoh); 8. Theobald'sTomb Bat (Taphozous theobaldi); 9. Indonesian Tomb Bat (Taphozous achates); 10. Arnhem Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous kapalgensis}; 11. Coastal Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous australis}; 12. Common Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous georgianus); 13. Hill's Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous hilli); 14. Troughton's Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous troughtoni); 15. Pel's Pouched Bat (Saccolaimus peli); 16. Bare-rumped Sheathtailed Bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus); 17. Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus mixtus); 18. Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris).

Subspecies and Distribution. . n. nudiventris Cretzschmar, 1830 - N, W, C & E Africa, also in Israel, Palestine, and the Arabian Peninsula. . n. magnus Wettstein, 1913 - Turkey, Iraq, and Bahrain. . n. kachhensis Dobson, 1872 - South Asia in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. . n. nudaster Thomas, 1915-NWMyanmar; however, complete distribution is unknown.. n. zayidi D. L. Harrison, 1955 - Oman; however, complete distribution is unknown. Present also in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iran, but distributions of subspecies in SW & C Asia are only partially understood and clarification awaits future systematic resolution.