Scotophilus nux Thomas 1904
Creators: name: Decher, Jan
name: Hoffmann, Anke
name: Schaer, Juliane
name: N Orris, Ryan W.
name: Kadjo, Blaise
name: Astrin, Jonas
name: Monadjem, Ara
name: Hutterer, Rainer
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Vespertilionidae
Scotophilus
Scotophilus nux

description: <i>Scotophilus nux</i> Thomas, 1904 <i>New material</i> ZFMK 2008.0306, &amp;male;, FC, 7 March 2008. Three individuals of this large orange-colored bat were captured at FC, all in the canopy net set over the creek. These were initially identified as <i>S. nigrita</i> using the keys by Hayman and Hill (1971) but following Robbins (1978) and Robbins <i>et al.</i> (1985), <i>S. nigrita</i> should now be considered a senior synonym of the much larger <i>S. gigas</i> (FA = 86 mm). The smaller <i>Scotophilus</i> (FA = 51–59 mm), formerly called <i>S. nigrita,</i> are now either <i>S. dinganii</i> or <i>S. nux</i>. Similarly, Konstantinov <i>et al.</i> (2000) reported a specimen ‘near Kindia’ as <i>S. nigrita,</i> but Weber and Fahr (2007 <i>b</i>) correctly pointed out that based on the forearm measurement (51 mm) the identification of this specimen needs to be either <i>S. dinganii</i> or <i>S. nux</i>. The identification as <i>S. nux</i> was confirmed in a molecular genetic study that included our voucher specimen from FC (R. G. Trujillo, in litt.). During the 2003 RAP, Fahr <i>et al.</i> (2006) caught one specimen of <i>S. nux</i> at Kpinita (Kpogo River), Mount Béro, and they refer to another specimen from the Forêt Classée de Diecké mentioned in Bützler (1994). Fahr (1996) pointed out that Hill (1982) and Wolton <i>et al.</i> (1982) list two specimens from the Liberian portion of Mount Nimba under <i>S. dinganii</i> but found that forearm measurements by Hill (1982) are clearly above the range for this species so that these specimens should also be assigned to <i>S. nux</i>. Most occurrences of <i>S. nux</i> are associated with the high forest zone from Sierra Leone to western Kenya (Robbins <i>et al.</i>, 1985). At Nimba it reaches 600 m (Hill, 1982). Grubb <i>et al.</i> (1998: 91) discuss this species as the “forest form” of <i>S. dinganii</i> (<i>S. d. nux</i>) and report that T. J. Jones “found it quite common in built up areas where it roosted in small groups in the roofs of houses and thatched huts” and “it has also been taken in holes in trees.” <i>Conservation status</i> Least Concern. Population trend unknown (IUCN, 2015).
description: Published as part of <i>Decher, Jan, Hoffmann, Anke, Schaer, Juliane, N Orris, Ryan W., Kadjo, Blaise, Astrin, Jonas, Monadjem, Ara &amp; Hutterer, Rainer, 2015, Bat diversity in the Simandou Mountain Range of Guinea, with the description of a new white-winged vespertilionid, pp. 255-282 in Acta Chiropterologica 17 (2)</i> on page 274, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2015.17.2.003, http://zenodo.org/record/3943621
description: {"references": ["ROBBINS, C. B. 1978. Taxonomic identification and history of Scotophilus nigrita (Schreber) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Journal of Mammalogy, 59: 212 - 213.", "ROBBINS, C. B., F. DE VREE, and V. VAN CAKENBERGHE. 1985. A systematic revision of the African bat genus Scotophilus (Vespertilionidae). Zoologische Wetenschappen, 246: 51 - 84.", "KONSTANTINOV, O. K., A. I. PEMA, V. V. L ABZIN, and G. V. FARA- FONOVA. 2000. Records of bats from Middle Guinea, with remarks on their natural history. Plecotus et al., 3: 129 - 148.", "FAHR, J., B. A. DJOSSA, and H. VIERHAUS. 2006. Rapid assessment of bats (Chiroptera) in the Dere, Diecke and Mt. Bero classified forests, Southeastern Guinea; including a review of the distribution of bats in Guinee Forestiere. Pp. 168 - 180, in A rapid biological assessment of three classified forests in southeastern Guinea (H. E. WRIGHT, J. MC- CULLOUGH, L. E. ALONSO, and M. S. DIALLO, eds.). RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 40. Conservation International, Washington, D. C., 248 pp.", "FAHR, J. 1996. Die Chiroptera der Elfenbeinkuste (unter Berucksichtigung des westafrikanischen Raumes): Taxonomie, Habitatpraferenzen und Lebensgemeinschaften. Diploma Thesis, Julius-Maximilians-Universitat, Wurzburg, 204 pp. + 36 maps.", "HILL, J. E. 1982. Records of bats from Mount Nimba, Liberia. Mammalia, 46: 116 - 120.", "WOLTON, R. J., P. A. ARAK, H. C. J. GODFRAY, and R. P. WILSON. 1982. Ecological and behavioral studies of the Megachiroptera at Mount Nimba, Liberia, with notes on Microchiroptera. Mammalia, 46: 419 - 448.", "GRUBB, P., T. S. JONES, A. G. DAVIES, E. EDBERG, E. D. STARIN, and J. E. HILL. 1998. Mammals of Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Gambia. The Trendrine Press, Cornwall, 265 pp.", "IUCN 2015. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. Available at http: // www. iucnredlist. org. Downloaded on 12 June 2015."]}