''Mormopterus'' is a genus of molossid microchiropterans, small flying mammals referred to as free-tailed bats. The genus has been the subject of several revisions, and the diversity of taxa centred on Australia were separated to a new genus ''

Ozimops ''Ozimops'' is a genus of molossid bats found in Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Description ''Ozimops'' are small and stout microbats, with forearm measurement ranging from 29 to 41 millimetres and weigh from 6 to 18 grams. The ear ...

'', and two monotypic genera, '' Setirostris'' and ''

Micronomus ''Micronomus norfolkensis'' is a species of molossid bat, a family of flying mammals. The bat is endemic to Australia, where it occurs from southeastern Queensland to eastern New South Wales. They are the sole species of genus ''Micronomus'' and ...

''. The species of ''Mormopterus'', in this stricter sense, are only found in areas outside of Australia and West Papua.

Taxonomy

A description of the genus was published in 1865 by

Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich (or Hartwig) Peters (22 April 1815 in Koldenbüttel – 20 April 1883) was a German naturalist and explorer. He was assistant to the anatomist Johannes Peter Müller and later became curator of the Berlin Zoological Mus ...

, as a new subgenus allied to '' Nyctinomus''. While the species-level taxonomy became better resolved, the integrity of the genus ''Mormopterus'' as it stood was less clear and molecular sequencing data indicated that ''Mormopterus'' was

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

. The closest relatives of '' M. kalinowski'' are members of '' Nyctinomops''. Further phylogenetic work is required to resolve the relationships of the species’ groups from the three regional areas, and what their relationships are to other molossid genera. Investigations of Australian bat

systematics Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic t ...

have resulted in species confusion, which has in turn inhibited other research and recognition for the purpose of conservation; ''Mormopterus'' had presented the greatest difficulties to taxonomic workers. A revision in 2014 used a multilocus approach, combining morphological and molecular analysis to further separate the genus; this recognised the subgenus ''Micronomus'' and erected two new taxa, subgenera ''Setirostris'' (monotypic) and ''Ozimops'', which circumscribed four accepted and three new species of ''Mormopterus''. Prior to this revision some taxa were given tentative labels of convenience by workers, ''Mormopterus'' sp. 1, 2, 3 ... , following a molecular study in 1998 that identified probable species without publishing descriptions. The

Australian Faunal Directory The Australian Faunal Directory (AFD) is an online catalogue of taxonomic and biological information on all animal species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as ...

, citing a 2015 taxonomic publication that elevated subgenera published in a 2014 review, recognises genera ''

'', '' Setirostris'' and ''

'' and the new generic combinations of taxa formerly assigned to this genus.

Diversity

The genus ''Mormopterus'' has seven species occurring in geographically disparate locations, three species from the west Indian Ocean region (Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands and possibly South Africa and Ethiopia), one species from western Indonesia (known from a single specimen from Sumatra) that appears to be related to the above three species; and three species from the neotropics (the western side of South America as far south as northern Chile, and Cuba). The former subgenus ''

'', later elevated to genus, is most diverse in Australia, although also found in the

Indonesian Archipelago * See also: Names of Indonesia , location = Southeast Asia and Oceania , waterbody = * Indian Ocean * Pacific Ocean , total_islands = ± 17,000–18,000 islands , major_islands = , area_km2 = 8,300,000 , area_footnotes = , rank = , length ...

, Halmahera, Ambon, Seram and West Papua, and in Papua New Guinea. The two monotypic subgenera ''Micronomus'' and ''Setirostris'', also elevated to genus, are endemic to Australia.

Species

The intergeneric arrangement, prior to 2014 elevation of the four

subgenera In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed betwee ...

, may be summarised as: *Subgenus '' Mormopterus'' ** ''

Mormopterus acetabulosus The Natal free-tailed bat (''Mormopterus acetabulosus'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. It is endemic to the island of Mauritius. It is known from fewer than five locations in its range, but it is common at a ...

'' Natal free-tailed bat ** ''

Mormopterus francoismoutoui ''Mormopterus francoismoutoui'' is a species of free-tailed bat that is endemic to the island of Réunion, which is east of Madagascar. Taxonomy ''M. francoismoutoui'' was described as a new species in 2008. The holotype had been collected ...

'', Reunion free-tailed bat ** '' Mormopterus doriae'' Sumatran mastiff bat ** '' Mormopterus jugularis'' Peters's wrinkle-lipped bat ** ''

Mormopterus kalinowskii Kalinowski's mastiff bat (''Mormopterus kalinowskii'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. It is native to Peru and northern Chile. Relatively little is known about the species, but it is thought to be common in i ...

'' Kalinowski's mastiff bat ** '' Mormopterus minutus'' little goblin bat ** ''

Mormopterus phrudus The Incan little mastiff bat (''Mormopterus phrudus'') is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. It belongs to the subgenus ''Micronomus''. Taxonomy and etymology It was described as a new species by American zoologis ...

'' Incan little mastiff bat

Synonyms

Synonyms of mainly Australian species, later recognised as new genera. *Subgenus ''

'' **''

Mormopterus norfolkensis ''Micronomus norfolkensis'' is a species of molossid bat, a family of flying mammals. The bat is endemic to Australia, where it occurs from southeastern Queensland to eastern New South Wales. They are the sole species of genus ''Micronomus'' and ...

'' East-coast free-tailed bat, *Subgenus '' Setirostris'' ** '' Mormopterus eleryi'' bristle-faced free-tailed bat *Subgenus ''

'' ** ''

Mormopterus planiceps ''Ozimops planiceps'' is a small bat in the family Molossidae, native to Australia and Indonesia. Taxonomy The taxonomy of the ''Mormopterus'' species has been a complicated issue for some time. Originally described by Wilhelm Peters in 1881, ...

'', southern free-tailed bat, ** ''

Mormopterus beccarii Beccari's free-tailed bat (''Ozimops beccarii'') is a species of bat in the free-tailed bat family Molossidae found to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It can be found in several habitat types, including savanna, tropical moist forest, and fragm ...

'', Beccari's mastiff bat ** '' Mormopterus loriae'', Loria's mastiff bat, little Papuan mastiff bat ** '' Mormopterus petersi'', inland free-tailed bat ** '' Mormopterus kitcheneri'', south-western free-tailed bat ** '' Mormopterus ridei'', eastern free-tailed bat, ** ''

Mormopterus lumsdenae ''Ozimops lumsdenae'' is a species of molossid bat found in Australia, the largest of the genus ''Ozimops''. Taxonomy It is a species of genus ''Ozimops'', both taxa emerging in the publication of new species and generic combinations of mostly A ...

,'' northern free-tailed bat ** ''

Mormopterus halli ''Mormopterus'' is a genus of molossid microchiropterans, small flying mammals referred to as free-tailed bats. The genus has been the subject of several revisions, and the diversity of taxa centred on Australia were separated to a new genus ''Oz ...

,'' Cape York free-tailed bat ** '' Mormopterus cobourgianus,'' mangrove free-tailed bat In addition, Peters's flat-headed bat (''Platymops setiger'') and

Roberts's flat-headed bat Roberts's flat-headed bat (''Sauromys petrophilus'') is a species of free-tailed bat native to southern Africa. It is the only species in the genus ''Sauromys''. The scientific name translates as "rock loving lizard-mouse", while the common name ...

(''Sauromys petrophilus'') were once thought to belong to this genus.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2579356 Bats of Australia Mammals of South Australia Molossidae Bat genera Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters