The big-eared mastiff bat (''Otomops papuensis'') is a species of

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

in the Molossidae family

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

. It is only known from eleven specimens and it is not easy to survey. It forages in rainforest canopy and roosts in tree hollows. It is likely more widespread than currently known but additional research is needed.

Taxonomy

The big-eared mastiff bat was described as a new species in 1948 by American mammalogist

Barbara Lawrence Barbara Jo Lawrence (February 24, 1930 – November 13, 2013) was an American model, actress, and real estate agent. Early years Lawrence was born to Morris and Bernice (nee Eaton) Lawrence in Carnegie, Oklahoma. She won a Tiny Tot beauty co ...

. The

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

had been collected at Vailala River of

, approximately to the west of the city of

Kerema Kerema is the capital of Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea. It is located on the coast of Gulf of Papua. The Gulf region is aptly named for its concave coastline with large deltas. The Gulf area is a riparian region where many rivers from the southe ...

. The holotype was collected in 1862.

Description

Overall, its fur is a rich, reddish brown. Individuals hair are darker at the tips and paler at the bases. The underside of its body is lighter in color than its backside, with its throat particularly pale. It has large, rounded ears that lack

antitragi The antitragus is a feature of mammalian ear anatomy. In humans, it is a small tubercle on the visible part of the ear, the auricle. The antitragus is located just above the earlobe and points anteriorly. It is separated from the tragus by the i ...

; the tragus is very small and scarcely visible. Like some other species of

free-tailed bat The Molossidae, or free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the order Chiroptera. The Molossidae is the fourth-largest family of bats, containing about 110 species as of 2012. They are generally quite robust, and consist of many strong-fly ...

, there is a connecting band of tissue (interaural membrane) between its ears. Unlike some closely related genera of free-tailed bat, its upper lip is not wrinkled. The measurements of the holotype were as follows: total length, ; tail, ; forearm, ; ear, ; hind foot, . Overall, it is similar in appearance to the

Wroughton's free-tailed bat Wroughton's free-tailed bat (''Otomops wroughtoni'') is a free-tailed bat formerly considered to be confined to the Western Ghats area of India, though it has also recently been discovered in northeast India and in a remote part of Cambodia. I ...

Biology and ecology

It is believed that this species forages for food in the rainforest canopy. It possibly roosts within tree hollows.

Range and habitat

As of 2020, is known from two sites in Papua New Guinea, where it has been found in

Gulf Province Gulf Province is a province of Papua New Guinea located on the southern coast. The provincial capital is Kerema. The 34,472 km2 province is dominated by mountains, lowland river deltas, and grassland flood plains. In Gulf Province, the Kiko ...

and

Oro Province Oro Province, formerly (and officially still) Northern Province, is a coastal Provinces of Papua New Guinea, province in the Southern Region, Papua New Guinea, Southern Region of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Popondetta. The provinc ...

. These two sites are at elevations between above sea level.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1829439 Otomops Bats of Oceania Endemic fauna of Papua New Guinea Mammals of Papua New Guinea Mammals described in 1948 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Bats of New Guinea