Aellen's pipistrelle

Aellen's pipistrelle (Pipistrellus inexspectatus) is a species of vesper bat. It can be found in possibly Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. It is found in dry and moist savanna.^[1]

Aellen's pipistrelle
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Vespertilionidae
Genus:	Pipistrellus
Species:	P. inexspectatus
Binomial name
Pipistrellus inexspectatus Aellen, 1959

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1959 by V. Aellen. The species name "inexspectatus" is sometimes spelled as "inexpectatus", but this is incorrect.^[2] "Inexspectatus" is Latin for "unexpected".

Description

It is a very small species of bat, with a forearm length of 31–33 mm (1.2–1.3 in). It weighs only 3–4 g (0.11–0.14 oz). Its ears are short, at 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in) long. Its dorsal fur is dark brown, with individual hairs bicolored. Hairs are consistently colored on its ventral side. Its wing membranes are also dark brown; the posterior margins of the wings are whitish. The uropatagium is paler than the wing membranes. Its calcar is keeled, though almost imperceptibly. Its dental formula is 2.1.2.33.1.2.3, for a total of 34 teeth.^[2]

Range and habitat

It is known from the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon.^[2]

Conservation

Aellen's pipistrelle is currently evaluated as data deficient by the IUCN because there is not enough information available to make an accurate conservation assessment.^[1]