''Ozimops ridei'' is a species of
molossid bat found in eastern
Australia.
Taxonomy and etymology
A species of 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 ...
'', established to separate new species and generic combinations of Australian
molossid bats.
The population has been
described as a
subspecies of ''
Mormopterus loriae'', Loria's mastiff bat.
In 2008, it was elevated for the first time to species rank—a view that was further corroborated in 2014 when a review of systematics and morphological characters of Australian ''
Mormopterus
''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 ''O ...
'' was published.
The generic combination of this species was inferred by the elevation of the subgenus to genus ''Ozimops''.
The
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
for the
species name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...
"''ridei''" is likely
William Ride, who was an accomplished Australian zoologist.
Description
It is a smaller member of its genus, with a body mass of .
Its forearm is long.
Fur color is highly variable among individuals, with some bats a light brownish-gray while others are darker brown.
Biology and ecology
It is
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have ...
, roosting in sheltered places during the day such as inside
Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of Flowering plant, flowering trees, shrubs or Mallee (habit), mallees in the Myrtaceae, myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the Tribe (biology) ...
tree hollows or in buildings.
It is
insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores were ...
, often foraging near
habitat edges.
Range and habitat
It occurs along much of the eastern coast of
Australia.
It is generally found in areas with more than of annual rainfall.
Conservation
It is listed as
least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...
by the
IUCN—its lowest conservation priority.
It meets the criteria for this category because it has a very large extent of occurrence, a large estimated area of occupancy, it uses a wide variety of habitats, and its range includes protected land.
However, the IUCN assessment does express uncertainty over its population trend; it is unknown if its population is stable or declining.
References
External links
Images of two individuals with transmitters attachedOccurrence map of this species
{{Taxonbar, from=Q61629284, from2=Q48817661
Mammals described in 1964
Bats of Australia
Ozimops