Mops pusillus

Mops pusillus is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found on islands off the coast of east Africa.^[2]

Mops pusillus
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Molossidae
Genus:	Mops
Species:	M. pusillus
Binomial name
Mops pusillus Miller, 1902
Synonyms
Nyctinomus pusillus Miller, 1902

Taxonomy

This bat was originally considered a distinct species, before being relegated to a synonym of M. pumilus. However, the presumed Seychelles populations of M. pumilus were discovered to be smaller than the ones in Kenya and Madagascar, leading to the resurrection of the name as a distinct species.^[3]

Description

The bat has a blackish-brown dorsum, brown throat, and dark brown chest. It has a dark brown venter, with a small white mid-ventral patch in rare cases. Comorian populations of the bat have a distinct whitish or beige strip of hairs at the base of the wings.^[4]

There is a possibility of inter-island seasonal variation in reproduction.^[4]

Habitat and distribution

The bat is found in the Comoro Islands and Seychelles.

On Comoros, it was not observed roosting in natural sites, but instead mostly in the attics of public buildings. Moreover, the bats were observed to roost in older-style colonial buildings, but not in modern buildings. Their roosting may also be seasonal, as they have been observed abandoning roosts during the cold season.^[4]