Tadarida aegyptiaca (E. Geoffroy, 1818)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Molossidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 598-672 : 665

108.

Egyptian Free-tailed Bat

Tadarida aegyptiaca

French: Tadaride d’' Egypte / German: Agyptische Bulldogfledermaus / Spanish: Murciélago rabudo de Egipto

Other common names: Egyptian Guano Bat, Egyptian Nyctinome

Taxonomy. Nyctinomus aegyptiacus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818,

“ Egypt.” Restricted by K. F. Koopman in 1975 to “ Giza.”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Very widespread throughout Africa from Morocco, Algeria, and N Egypt (Cairo) to SW South Africa (Cape Town), as well as SW Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and E Oman, S Iran, E Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Sr1 Lanka; while it 1s more continuously distributed in S Africa, its distribution N of the Zambezi Riveris very patchy.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 60-87 mm, tail 30-50 mm, ear 13-22 mm, hindfoot 7-12 mm, forearm 42-52 mm; weight 9-22 g. Dorsalfuris short, gray, grayish brown, reddish brown, blackish brown or black, often darker on head and flanks, without spots and sometimes with silvery sheen; ventral fur is similar to dorsal but slightly paler mid-ventrally and sometimes grizzled; band of longer flank hairs is same color as dorsal fur or slightly paler, but rarely white. Upper lip has several wrinkles, a few spoon-hairs, and many fine hairs. Ears are blackish brown, and of medium length (just reaching tip of snout when laid forward), with bases almost meeting on muzzle to form a V-shaped valley. Tragusis small but not concealed by antitragus, which is about twice the size of tragus and roughly semicircular. There is no interaural crest. Gular gland is present in both sexes. Wing and interfemoral membranes are brown and semi-translucent or blackish brown. Ventral sides of forearms and legs are naked and whitish. Hindclaws have fine hairs and many stout bristles. Braincase is not noticeably raised, giving skull a low profile; sagittal crest is absent or poorly developed; anterior palatal emargination is wide; and basisphenoid pits are moderately developed. Dental formulais11/2,C1/1,P 2/2, M 3/3(x2) = 30. Chromosomal complement in South Africa has 2n = 48 and FNa = 68.

Habitat. Egyptian Free-tailed Bats occur in a wide range of habitats from various savanna woodland types to grasslands and arid scrublands. In arid areas, their occurrence is closely tied to the presence of water bodies. Elevational rangeis from sea level to 2100 m.

Food and Feeding. Egyptian Free-tailed Bats capture their prey in mid-air by hawking, and can also glean insects from the ground or a water surface. They feed on beetles (including water beetles), moths, orthopterans, wasps, winged termites, flies, caterpillars, and other large insects, and spiders.

Breeding. In a study conducted at ¢. 33° S in South Africa, Egyptian Free-tailed Bats showed seasonal monoestry, mating in August and giving birth to a single young in early summer (November-December) after a four-month gestation. Predators include bat hawks (Macheiramphus alcinus) and common barn-owls (7yto alba).

Activity patterns. Egyptian Free-tailed Bats are nocturnal, and roost in crevices in the roofs of houses and other man-made structures (e.g. expansion joints of bridges), as well as in natural roosts associated with spaces between boulders and crevices in cliffs, under bark, cracks in tree trunks, and hollow trees. They produce narrowband echolocation calls with low peak frequency (c.23 kHz) and long duration (c.10 milliseconds).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Egyptian Free-tailed Bats are colonial, living in colonies of up to thousands ofindividuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Bernard & Happold (2013d), Bernard & Tsita (1995), Koopman (1975), Monadjem, Jacobs, Cotterill, Hutson, Mickleburgh, Bergmans & Fahr (2017).

Figures

On following pages: 105. Roberts's Flat-headed Bat (Sauromys petrophilus); 106. Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis); 107. European Free-tailed Bat (7adarida teniotis); 108. Egyptian Free-tailed Bat (7adarida aegyptiaca); 109. Kenyan Big-eared Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida lobata); 110. African Giant Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida ventralis); 111. Malagasy Free-tailed Bat (7adarida fulminans); 112. East Asian Free-tailed Bat (7adarida insignis); 113. La Touche's Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida latouchei); 114. New Guinea Free-tailed Bat (Austronomus kuboriensis); 115. White-striped Free-tailed Bat (Austronomus australis); 116. East Coast Free-tailed Bat (Micronomus norfolkensis); 117. Beccari's Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops beccaril); 118. Northern Coastal Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops cobourgianus); 119. Cape York Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops hall); 120. South-western Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops kitchener); 121. Loria’s Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops loriae); 122. Lumsden'’s Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops lumsdenae); 123. Inland Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops petersi); 124. Southern Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops planiceps); 125. Ride's Free-tailed Bat (Ozimops ride); 126. Hairy-nosed Free-tailed Bat (Setirostris eleryi).

Distribution. Very widespread throughout Africa from Morocco , Algeria , and N Egypt (Cairo) to SW South Africa (Cape Town), as well as SW Saudi Arabia , Yemen , and E Oman , S Iran , E Afghanistan , Pakistan , India , and Sr1 Lanka; while it 1s more continuously distributed in S Africa, its distribution N of the Zambezi Riveris very patchy.