Tadarida insignis Blyth 1862
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Molossidae
Tadarida
Tadarida insignis

description: 112. East Asian Free-tailed Bat <i>Tadarida insignis</i> <b>French:</b> Tadaride d’Asie / <b>German:</b> Ostasiatische Bulldogfledermaus / Spanish: Murciélago rabudo de Asia <b>Other common names:</b> Oriental Free-tailed Bat <b>Taxonomy.</b> Nyctinomus insignis Blyth, 1862, Amoy [= Xiamen],” south-eastern Fujian Province, China. This species is monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Widespread through C &amp; S China, Taiwan I, Korean Peninsula, SE Russian Far East, and Japan. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 82-102 mm, tail 48-60 mm, ear 31-34 mm, hindfoot 10-15 mm (with claw), forearm 57-65 mm; weight 15-20 g. Fur is dense and velvety and hairs in middle of back are 8-10 mm long; dorsalfuris black-gray with slightly frosted appearance in some lights because bases are paler than tips; ventral fur is gray or white-gray. Lip is wrinkled and muzzle projects beyond upperlip to generate an “overbite” appearance. There are horny excrescences on rhinarium. Ears are very large, project anteriorly beyond eyes and face, and are joined at anterior bases. Braincase is high, and palatal emargination is deep, longer than wide. Dental formula 8512/3, C1/1,P 2/2 M3/3 (52) = 32. <b>Habitat.</b> Woodlands and agricultural lands. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The East Asian Free-tailed Bat is an aerial insectivore, foraging in open spaces above woodlands, agriculture, and open water. Diet comprises a large proportion of Lepidoptera, which conforms to expected consumption of soft-bodied prey based on skull morphology. <b>Breeding.</b> In Japan, maternity colonies comprising several hundred adult and subadult females and subadult males exist from May to September, with births between July and August. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Roosts are known from caves and crevices in large rocks facing the sea. In Japan and Taiwan, East Asian Free-tailed Bats are occasionally synanthropic, roosting in buildings. In Japan during summer, East Asian Free-tailed Bats emerged ¢.30 minutes after sunset, and most bats seldom returned to the roosts until just before sunrise. Echolocation calls are very low-frequency narrowband, in which an initial shallow FM sweep leads to a longer QCF component. Calls are often audible, with a frequency of maximum energy at 13-5-15-3 kHz. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> The East Asian Free-tailed Bat has been found hibernating in Japan and is likely to doso elsewhere, but hibernacula have not been described. In Japan, it has also been observed foraging during winter. It flies fast and high, and probably disperses to forage several kilometers from the roost. It appears to be a gregarious species, living in colonies of several hundred individuals. A large colony of 500 individuals roosted in the space between inner and outer walls of a school house. It forms distinct maternity colonies. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Although it has been recorded over a very wide area, there is very little information on population status, threats, ecological and habitat requirements, and the species is poorly known. Cave disturbance, tourism, and quarrying threaten the species in China. <b>Bibliography.</b> Cheng Hsichi et al. (2017), Freeman (1981), Funakoshi &amp; Yamamoto (2001), Maeda et al. (2008), Ohdachi et al. (2009), Smith &amp; Xie Yan (2008), Yoshiyuki (1989).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson &amp; Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Molossidae, pp. 598-672 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on pages 666-667, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6418279