Taphozous hamiltoni, Thomas, 1920

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 352

4 . Hamilton’s Tomb Bat

Taphozous hamiltoni

French: Taphien de Hamilton / German: Hamilton-Grabfledermaus / Spanish: Tafozo de Hamilton

Taxonomy. Taphozous hamiltoni Thomas, 1920 , “

Mongalla , Sudan .”

Taphozous hamiltoni is in the subgenus Taphozous . Monotypic.

Distribution. E Africa, few records scattered in Sudan, Somalia (Lower Sheikh), South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania (Shanwa); also isolated records from Chad (Sarh). Its füll distribution is poorly known.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 80-84 mm, tail 20-35 mm, ear 15-22 mm, hindfoot 15-16 mm, forearm 61-71 mm; weight 19-4-22 g. Hamilton’s Tomb Bat has dark sepiabrown to rusty brown dorsum, with slighdy lighter venter. Fur is unicolored and sleek. Sexes are not dimorphic in color or size. Flight membranes are dark brown. Hindlegs are naked and dark brown. Adult breeding males and females have well-developed gular pouches. Radio-metacarpal sacs are present on wings ofmales and females. Viewed from above, head is flat and subtriangular, with pointed muzzle. Lower lip is prominently grooved. Eyes are large. Ears are subtriangular and pointed backward, with papillae along lower margins. Tragus is 7 mm long and broad, having axe-head shape and prominent lobule at base of posterior margin. Skull is smoothly convex laterally until reaching weakly concave forehead. Sagittal crest is low, and occipital helmet is weakly developed.

Habitat. Dry and moist savanna woodlands including Acacia (Fabaceae) and Acacia- Commiphora (Burseraceae) woodlands, grasslands, and semi-desert shrublands.

Food and Feeding. Hamilton’s Tomb Bats are insectivorous.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Hamilton’s Tomb Bats roost in rock fissures and caves.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on IUCNRed List. Extent of occurrence, status, trends, ecological requirements, and threats of Hamilton’s Tomb Bat are unknown. It could be declining due to habitat loss by spread of agriculture, but it probably occurs in protected areas. Distribution, ecological requirements, and conservation status require additional investigation.

Bibliography. ACR (2006, 2017), Kingdon (1974), Mickleburgh, Hutson & Bergmans (2008 a).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Hamilton'sTomb Bat [Taphozous hamiltoni); 5. Hildegarde'sTomb Bat (Taphozous hildegardeae}; 6. Long-winged Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous longimanus); 7. Black-beardedTomb Bat (Taphozous melanopogoh); 8. Theobald'sTomb Bat (Taphozous theobaldi); 9. Indonesian Tomb Bat (Taphozous achates); 10. Arnhem Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous kapalgensis}; 11. Coastal Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous australis}; 12. Common Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous georgianus); 13. Hill's Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous hilli); 14. Troughton's Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous troughtoni); 15. Pel's Pouched Bat (Saccolaimus peli); 16. Bare-rumped Sheathtailed Bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus); 17. Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus mixtus); 18. Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris).

Distribution. E Africa, few records scattered in Sudan, Somalia (Lower Sheikh), South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania (Shanwa); also isolated records from Chad (Sarh). Its füll distribution is poorly known.