Neoromicia melckorum (Roberts 1919)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Chiroptera - Family Vespertilionidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 451-529 : 494

Neoromicia melckorum (Roberts 1919)

[Eptesicus] melckorum Roberts 1919 , Ann. Transvaal Mus., 6: 113.

Type Locality: South Africa, Western Cape Prov., Berg River, Kersfontein.

Vernacular Names: Melcks' Serotine.

Distribution: SW South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania.

Conservation: IUCN 2003 and IUCN / SSC Action Plan (2001) – Lower Risk (lc) as Eptesicus melckorum .

Discussion: This species has not been clearly distinguished from capensis , see discussion in Rautenbach et al. (1993) and Kearney et al. (2002). Koopman (1994) noted that the type series from W Cape Province is probably conspecific with capensis ; however, material from the northern part of the supposed range of melckorum ( Kenya to Zambia and Transvaal) is clearly distinct from capensis and should be renamed.