Tadarida

Taxobox
name = "Tadarida"


image_caption = "Tadarida brasiliensis"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Chiroptera
familia = Molossidae
genus = "Tadarida"
genus_authority = Rafinesque, 1814The genus "Tadarida" has eight species of bats divided into two subgenera, with the first of these containing seven species spread across the Old World (including southern Europe and North Africa, large parts of southern Asia, and India right across to Japan). Four species occour exclusively in Africa including Madagascar while two more species occur in central Papua New Guinea, and western and southern Australia respectively.

The relatively well known species "T. teniotis", which occurs in southern Europe and North Africa, the Middle East and all the way across southern Asia to Japan, is known to fly often during the late afternoon where it will hawk for insects alongside swifts ("Apodidae"), swallows and martins "Hirundinidae".

The Australian species "T. australis" is the largest in the genus, with a head and body length of 85-100 mm, and a tail length of 40-55 mm. [Minnick, N. and P. Myers. 2006. "Tadarida australis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 22, 2006 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tadarida_australis.html.]

The other subgenus contains the widespread New World single species "T. brasiliensis" (Subgenus "Rhizomops") which ranges from the southern United States including the West Indies all the way down to Chile and Argentina. This species is noted for its massive maternity colonies in the United States especially in the southwest where an estimated population of + 25 million (possibly as high as 50 million) existed in Eagle Creek Cave in Arizona in the 1960s.

Species list for genus:

* "Tadarida brasiliensis" (Now in subgenus "Rhizomops") Brazilian Free-tailed Bat
* "Tadarida aegyptiaca" [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tadarida_aegyptiaca.html]
* "Tadarida australis" [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tadarida_australis.html]
* "Tadarida fulminans"
* "Tadarida kuboriensis"
* "Tadarida lobata"
* "Tadarida teniotis"
* "Tadarida ventralis"

Resources

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Tadarida.html#Tadarida