Chaerephon solomonis Troughton 1931
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Molossidae
Chaerephon
Chaerephon solomonis

description: 76. Solomons Free-tailed Bat <i>Chaerephon solomonis</i> <b>French:</b> Tadaride des Salomon / <b>German:</b> Salomonen-Bulldogfledermaus / Spanish: Caerepon de Salomon <b>Other common names:</b> Solomons Mastiff Bat <b>Taxonomy.</b> Chaerephon solomonis Troughton, 1931, “cave at Mufu Point, six miles [= 10 km] west of Tuarugu Village, south-west coast of Ysabel [= Isabel Island],” Solomon Islands. Chaerephon solomonis was previously treated as a subspecies of C. jobensis of New Guinea and Australia, but was elevated to species level by T. F. Flannery in 1995 and F.J. Bo-naccorso in 1998; this action was confirmed by genetic analysis by S. Ingleby and D. Colgan in 2003. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Solomon Is (Choiseul and Santa Isabel). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 55:6-63 mm, tail 30-35 mm, ear 16-4-18-6 mm, forearm 40-8-43-3 mm; weight 11-5-13 g. The Solomons Free-tailed Bat is one of the smallest members of the genus; it is similar in appearance to the Greater Northern Free-tailed Bat (C. jobensis), but is smaller in most aspects. Furis rich, auburn-brown, with white hairs infrequently interspersed. Tragusis lobed and broad attip. <b>Habitat.</b> The Solomons Free-tailed Bat has been captured in sea-cliff caves surrounded by the sea and dense forest at c. 180 m above sea level. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> No information. <b>Breeding.</b> Six specimens collected from Choiseul Island in early March were post-lactating females, suggesting they may have raised young during the rainy season (December— April), similar to breeding behavior observed in the Fijian Free-tailed Bat (C. bregullae). <b>Activity patterns.</b> Echolocation call is unknown, but is thought to have a loud low frequency call (c.20 kHz) similar to that of the closely related Fijian Free-tailed Bat. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> The original collection in a cave at Mufu Point (Santa Isabel Island) suggests that the species roosts in very large colonies, and a “sackfull” (more than 200 individuals) was gathered by the collector, who attempted to photograph the swarm described as being “a mile in length and 50 yards broad.” Like the Fijian Free-tailed Bat, the Solomons Free-tailed Bat probably forms large maternity colonies atjust a few caves. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List, despite its range being less than 20,000 km?; this was because it was assumed to occur in large numbers and that additional surveys would find more locations. These ideas may require revision, given widespread logging over much of the Solomon Islands including Santa Isabel Island, and the failure of surveys to locate the species elsewhere. Acoustic surveys by T. E. Davies and colleagues in 2016, and M. Pennay and T. H. Lavery in 2017, on other Solomon Island groups did not locate the species although inconclusive calls similar to those of other molossids were recorded at Ndoma, Guadalcanal Island. <b>Bibliography.</b> Adams et al. (1988), Bonaccorso (1998), Davies et al. (2016), Felten (1964a), Flannery (1995a), Hamilton (2014), Ingleby &amp; Colgan (2003), Jackson &amp; Groves (2015), Pennay &amp; Lavery (2017), Troughton (1931).
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 650-651, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6418279