The Solomons mastiff bat (''Mops solomonis'') is a species of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

in the family Molossidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its ca ...

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species by Australian mammalogist

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 ...

in 1931. Troughton likely chose 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 ...

"''solomonis''" because this species was first discovered on the

. It is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the

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 Smi ...

, ''Mops jobensis''. The genus ''Chaerephon'' was formerly considered a

subgenus 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 betw ...

of or

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with the genus ''

Tadarida The genus ''Tadarida'' has 9 or more species of free-tailed bats divided into two subgenera, with the first of these containing seven species spread across the Old World (including southern Europe and North Africa, large parts of southern Asia, ...

'', meaning that this species has been known as ''Tadarida jobensis solomonis'' or ''Tadarida solomonis''.

Description

Its forearm is . In total, its head and body are long, while its tail is long. Its fur is a rich, auburn brown, with white hairs interspersed infrequently. Its tragus is lobed and broad at the tip.

Range and habitat

Its range is currently known to include

Choiseul Island Choiseul Island, native name Lauru, is the largest island () of the Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands, at . The administrative headquarters of Choiseul Province is situated in the town of Taro, on Taro Island. History In 1768, the French explo ...

and

Santa Isabel Island Santa Isabel Island (also known as Isabel, Ysabel and Mahaga) is the longest in Solomon Islands, the third largest in terms of surface area, and the largest in the group of islands in Isabel Province. Location and geographic data Choiseul lies ...

, both of which are part of the

Conservation

It is evaluated as endangered by the IUCN.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1830135 Mops (bat) Bats of Oceania Endemic fauna of the Solomon Islands Mammals of the Solomon Islands Mammals described in 1931 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot