Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792)

Cakenberghe, Victor Van, Tungaluna, Guy-Crispin Gembu, Akawa, Prescott Musaba, Seamark, Ernest & Verheyen, Erik, 2017, The bats of the Congo and of Rwanda and Burundi revisited (Mammalia: Chiroptera), European Journal of Taxonomy 382 (382), pp. 1-327 : 11

Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792)

Fig. 3 A–B

Vespertilio vampyrus helvus Kerr, 1792: 91 .

* Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792) .

Hayman et al. (1966: 74) reported a total of 347 specimens from almost all over the DRC. The 560 specimens we found do not lead to a large extension of the range, but we do have some records from Rwanda and Burundi and from the southern part of Haut Kantanga Province. On the overall distribution, Thomas & Henry (2013a) show an almost uniform distribution south of the Sahara, with the exception of the drier areas of NE and SW Africa. Our assement of the distribution seems to suggest a split between a northern area and a southern/eastern area, which runs through the DRC provinces of Tanganyika, Haut- Lomami and Lualaba. Whether this is a real gap or only a result of the lack of voucher specimens cannot be determined at this time.

Figures

Fig. 3. Distribution maps. A–B. Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792). C–D. Epomophorus anselli Bergmans & Van Strien, 2004. E–F. Epomophorus crypturus Peters, 1852. A, C, E. Distribution in the CRB area. B, D, F. Pan-African distribution.