Beatrix's bat
Beatrix's bat (Glauconycteris beatrix) is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It can be found in the following countries: Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. It is found in these habitats: subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
| Beatrix's bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Glauconycteris |
| Species: | G. beatrix |
| Binomial name | |
| Glauconycteris beatrix Thomas, 1901 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 1901 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas. The holotype used to describe the species had been collected by George Latimer Bates in 1898 along the Benito River in what was then the French Congo.[2] While Thomas did not state who the eponym was for the species name "beatrix", it has been hypothesized that he named it after Princess Beatrice.[3]
Description
It is a small species of bat with blackish brown fur. Its flight membranes are uniformly brown. It has a broad snout and short, broad tragi. Its forearm length is approximately 39 mm (1.5 in).[2]
Range and habitat
Beatrix's bat is found in several countries in West and Central Africa, including Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, and Nigeria. It is associated with tropical lowland forests.[1]
Conservation
As of 2017, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this classification because it has a wide geographic range; its population is presumably large; and it is unlikely to be experiencing rapid population decline.[1]
References
- Monadjem, A.; Taylor, P.J.; Jacobs, D.; Cotterill, F. (2017). "Glauconycteris beatrix". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T44791A22068514. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T44791A22068514.en.
- Thomas, O. (1901). "XXXIV.—New Species of Macroscelides and Glauconycteris". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 8 (45): 255–257.
- Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2009). The eponym dictionary of mammals. JHU Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780801895333.