Lesser long-fingered bat


The lesser long-fingered bat, also known as the black clinging bat or lesser bent-winged bat, is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae.
It is found in western Southern Africa, south East Africa, and parts of Central Africa.
Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, caves, and subterranean habitats.
It has been assessed as least-concern by the IUCN.

Taxonomy

The currently recognized species is though to be a complex of morphologically similar species. The reported population of this species from Madagascar is now allocated to the recently described M. sororculus.

Biology

Diet

The species is insectivorous.

Habitat and distribution

It is common and widespread through a number of small ranges throughout Africa. The bat is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The upper elevation limit for the bat is around 2,200 meters above sea level.
It is found in dry bushveld, lowveld, mistbelt, and forest habitats, where caves, tunnels, unused mines and railways, and rocky overhangs are present. It roosts in caves, overhangs, disused mines, and railway tunnels. In the KwaZulu-Natal it has also been observed in damp sandstone caves, a solution cave of glacio-fluvial boulder clay, a rocky overhang over a forest stream, a rock fissure, a railway tunnel as well as from unused mine adits.

Conservation

The species has been assessed as least-concern by the IUCN Red List due to lack of threats to the species and its large range. It is also presumed to have a large population.
The species faces no major threats in Africa.
It is found in Tanzania's Manga Forest Reserve and is presumably also found in other protected areas across its range.

External Links