Phoniscus aerosus

295.

Dubious Trumpet-eared Bat

Phoniscus aerosus

French: Kérivoule rousse / German: Zweifelhaftes Trompetenohr / Spanish: Fonisco rojizo

Taxonomy. Kerivoula aerosa Tomes, 1858,

“ South Africa, eastern coast.”

Original description of P. aerosus referred to the type locality as South Africa, but no species of Phoniscus 1s known from anywhere near Africa, which supports the view that type locality is dubious. It has been suggested that the type locality might be from the Indonesian Archipelago and more specifically Sulawesi. This is supported by the later identification of another specimen as P. aerosus from mm which was also identified by R. F. Tomes. For the time being, distribution of P aerosus is uncertain, and collection of more specimens from Sulawesi for comparison with type material is needed to clarify its distribution. Monotypic.

Distribution. Possibly Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c. 44-51 mm, tail 38-42 mm, ear 12 (one specimen), forearm 37 mm (one specimen). Pelage is thick and woolly. Dorsal pelage is dark umberbrown, with shin golden bronze frosting (hairs grayish brown on basal one-half with yellowish brown merging into dark umber-brown toward shining golden bronze tips); venter is dark brown, with brownish bronze frosting. Head has narrow muzzle and highly domed crown. Face is moderately haired, with woolly mustache on upperlip and nearly naked chin. Ears are brown, with shallow indentations near rounded tips; tragus is long, tapers near sharply pointed tip, and has deep notch near base of posterior margin that has parallelsided upper and lower margins and rounded apex. Membranes are brown and indistinctly marked with punctuated lines; posterior margin of uropatagium has sparse, short, bristly hairs that do not resemble a cone-like fringe. Skull has less constricted interorbital region than in species of Kerivoula. I? is long and pointed; I’ is rudimentary and hard to see; C! is long, robust, and angular and is conspicuously grooved; and P* is long and pointed.

Habitat. No information.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Dubious Trumpet-eared Bat is currently known only from two specimens with certainty, but region where they came from is uncertain.

Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Happold, M. (2013bq), Hill (1965b), Hutson (2008), Roberts (1951), Ryan (1965), Tomes (1858b).