Sulawesi free-tailed bat

The Sulawesi free-tailed bat (Mops sarasinorum) is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Sulawesi free-tailed bat
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Molossidae
Genus:	Mops
Species:	M. sarasinorum
Binomial name
Mops sarasinorum (Meyer, 1899)
Synonyms
Nyctinomus sarasinorum Meyer, 1899 Tadarida sarasinorum (Meyer, 1899)

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1899 by German biologist Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer. Von Meyer placed it in the now-defunct genus Nyctinomus with a binomial of N. sarasinorum.^[2] The eponym for the species name "sarasinorum" was Paul and Fritz Sarasin, a pair of Swiss cousins who conducted a research expedition in Sulawesi.^[3]

Description

It has a forearm length of approximately 40 mm (1.6 in). Its fur color is variable, with individuals documented with blackish brown, blackish chestnut, or chesnut-brown.^[4] Individuals weigh approximately 19.7 g (0.69 oz).^[5]

Range and habitat

It is native to Southeast Asia where it is found in Indonesia and the Philippines. It has been found at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level.^[1]

Conservation

As of 2016, it is evaluated as a data deficient species by the IUCN.^[1]