The dubious trumpet-eared bat (''Phoniscus aerosus'') is a species of

vesper bat Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat famili ...

. It was described as a new species in 1858 by zoologist

Robert Fisher Tomes Robert Fisher Tomes (4 August 1823 – 10 July 1904) was an England, English farmer and zoologist. Biography Tomes was born in Weston-on-Avon and farmed at Welford, Gloucestershire. He was a specialist in bats, describing a number of new species. ...

. Tomes placed it in the genus ''Kerivoula'', with a scientific name of ''Kerivoula aerosa''. He gave the type locality as the eastern coast of South Africa, though it is now thought that the specimen's origin was mislabeled and the bat is not considered native to Africa.

Ellis Le Geyt Troughton Ellis Le Geyt Troughton (born in Sydney on 29 April 1893; died 30 November 1974) was an Australian zoologist and mammalogist. Biography Ellis Troughton began to exercise his interest in mammals at fourteen years of age, taking a role at the A ...

was the first to assert that the species was likely a member of the genus ''

Phoniscus ''Phoniscus'' is a genus of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vesper ...

'', not ''Kerivoula''.

References

Phoniscus Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Robert Fisher Tomes Mammals described in 1858 {{Vespertilionidae-stub