Major's long-fingered bat (''Miniopterus majori'') 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 ...
in the family
Miniopteridae
''Miniopterus'', known as the bent-winged or long winged bats, is the sole genus of the family Miniopteridae. They are small flying insectivorous mammals, micro-bats of the order Chiroptera, with wings over twice the length of the body. The genus ...
. It is found only in
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. It is similar to ''M. schreibersi'' of continental Africa, differing by having a shorter forearm, slightly longer digits and a narrow box-shaped skull. The pelage is often a greyish-brown colour, and the tragus is kidney-shaped and is a prominent feature. It is an insectivore and is viewed as a possible contributor to pest removal in Madagascar.
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880918303761?via%3Dihub] The species was named in honour of Swiss zoologist
C. I. Forsyth Major.
References
Miniopteridae
Bats of Africa
Mammals described in 1906
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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