''Chaerephon'' (known as Chaerephon bats or lesser mastiff bats) is a genus of Old World free-tailed bats in the family Molossidae.D.E. Wilson & D.M. Reeder, 2005: Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore Molecular sequence data indicates that ''Chaerephon'', '' Mops'' and '' Tadarida'' are not

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

taxa. The closest relatives of ''

Chaerephon jobimena ''Chaerephon jobimena'', commonly known as the black and red free-tailed bat, is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is endemic to western Madagascar. With a forearm length of 45 to 48 mm (1.8 to 1.9 in), ''C. jobimena'' is somewh ...

'' of Madagascar are ''

Tadarida aegyptiaca The Egyptian free-tailed bat, also known as Egyptian guano bat or Egyptian nyctinome, (''Tadarida aegyptiaca'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. Description The Egyptian free-tailed bat has fine, dense fur which is greyish brown, sh ...

'' of Africa and southwest Asia, and '' Tadarida brasiliensis'' of the Americas, which form a clade believed to be about 9.8 million years old. However, the grouping of ''Chaerephon'' minus ''C. jobimena'' plus ''Mops'' was found to be monophyletic. Species within this genus are: *''

Chaerephon atsinanana ''Mops atsinanana'' is a free-tailed bat found on Madagascar. It was considered a subspecies of the little free-tailed bat until 2010.Napier, M. C. (2013). Genetic Variability of Chaerephon Atsinanana (Chiroptera) Within the Context of the Afro- ...

''Goodman, S. M., Buccas, W., Naidoo, T., Ratrimomanarivo, F., Taylor, P. J., & Lamb, J. (2010). Patterns of morphological and genetic variation in western Indian Ocean members of the Chaerephon'pumilus' complex (Chiroptera: Molossidae), with the description of a new species from Madagascar. Zootaxa, 2551(1), 1-36. * Duke of Abruzzi's free-tailed bat, ''Chaerephon aloysiisabaudiae'' *

Ansorge's free-tailed bat Ansorge's free-tailed bat (''Mops ansorgei'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for W.J. Ansorge, who collected the first formally described specimen. Description Ansorge's free-tailed bat is ...

, ''Chaerephon ansorgei'' *

Gland-tailed free-tailed bat The gland-tailed free-tailed bat (''Chaerephon bemmeleni'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, dry savanna, and caves. Taxonomy and etymology It was described a ...

, ''Chaerephon bemmeleni'' * Spotted free-tailed bat, ''Chaerephon bivittatus'' *

Fijian mastiff bat The Fijian mastiff bat (''Mops bregullae''), also known as the Fijian free-tailed bat, is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Fiji and Vanuatu. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 s ...

, ''Chaerephon bregullae'' * Chapin's free-tailed bat, ''Chaerephon chapini'' *

Gallagher's free-tailed bat Gallagher's free-tailed bat (''Mops gallagheri'') is a free-tailed bat endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Only one individual has ever been documented. Taxonomy and etymology It was described as a new species in 1975 by David Harri ...

, ''Chaerephon gallagheri'' *

Northern freetail bat The northern freetail bat (''Chaerephon jobensis'') is a species of bat found in Yapen, Seram Island, Western New Guinea and Northern Australia. Taxonomy and etymology It was described as a new species in 1902 by American zoologist Gerrit Smit ...

, ''Chaerephon jobensis'' * Black and red free-tailed bat, ''Chaerephon jobimena'' *

Northern free-tailed bat The northern free-tailed bat (''Mops johorensis'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia. Taxonomy and etymology It was described as a new species in 1873 by Irish zoologist George Edward Dobson. D ...

, ''Chaerephon johorensis'' *

Grandidier's free-tailed bat Grandidier's free-tailed bat (''Chaerephon leucogaster'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and dry savanna. It has at times been considered sy ...

, ''Chaerephon leucogaster'' *

Lappet-eared free-tailed bat The lappet-eared free-tailed bat (''Mops major'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzan ...

, ''Chaerephon major'' *

Nigerian free-tailed bat The Nigerian free-tailed bat (''Chaerephon nigeriae'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is native to two widely separated parts of Africa, and is sometimes considered to represent two separate species. Description The Nigerian fr ...

, ''Chaerephon nigeriae'' * Wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat, ''Chaerephon plicatus'' * Little free-tailed bat, ''Chaerephon pumilus'' *''

Chaerephon pusillus ''Mops pusillus'' is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found on islands off the coast of east Africa. Taxonomy This bat was originally considered a distinct species, before being relegated to a synonym of '' M. pumilus''. However, ...

'' *

Russet free-tailed bat The russet free-tailed bat (''Mops russatus'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, and Kenya. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. ...

, ''Chaerephon russatus'' * Solomons mastiff bat, ''Chaerephon solomonis'' *

São Tomé free-tailed bat The São Tomé free-tailed bat (''Mops tomensis'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss. On ...

, ''Chaerephon tomensis''

References

Molossidae Bat genera Taxa named by George Edward Dobson {{Molossidae-stub