Miniopterus mahafaliensis
Miniopterus mahafaliensis is a bat in the genus "Miniopterus" that occurs in southwestern Madagascar. Populations of this species have historically been included in "Miniopterus manavi", but molecular data published in 2008 and 2009 indicate that this supposed species in fact consists of five separate species, including the newly described "M. mahafaliensis". The species has been found in dry, spiny, and gallery forest, as well as more open habitats, in southwestern Madagascar. "Miniopterus mahafaliensis" is a small, brown "Miniopterus"; its forearm length is 35 to 40 mm (1.4 to 1.6 in). The hairs of the underparts have gray tips . The tragus (a projection in the outer ear) is thick and blunt-tipped. The uropatagium (tail membrane) is well-furred and the palate is concave. Taxonomy. During the 2000s, molecular studies have revealed that the widely distributed African, Eurasian, and Australian genus "Miniopterus" is much more species-rich than previously thought. In a 1995 contribution to "Faune de Madagascar" on Malagasy bats, Randolph Peterson and colleagues listed four species of "Miniopterus" on Madagascar and the nearby Comoros, including the small "Miniopterus manavi" with a broad distribution on both Madagascar and the Comoros. In 2008 and 2009, however, Steven Goodman and  colleagues presented evidence that the former concept of "M. manavi" in fact encompassed five morphologically and molecularly distinct species of small "Miniopterus". These included "M. manavi" itself in the Central Highlands, "M. griveaudi" and "M. aelleni" in the Comoros and northern and western Madagascar, "M. brachytragos" in northern and western Madagascar only, and "M. mahafaliensis" in southwestern Madagascar. The five recognized species of "M. manavi"-like bats are not each other's closest relatives, but apparently acquired their similarities through convergent evolution. "Miniopterus mahafaliensis" was described as a new species in the second 2009 paper by Goodman and colleagues. The specific  name is derived from the Malagasy word "Mahafaly", which refers to the Mahafaly Plateau, where the specimen has been recorded, and to the Mahafaly ethnic group of the region. Analysis of sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome "b" gene suggested that "M. brachytragos" is most closely related to another Malagasy species, "M. sororculus". Although samples of "M. mahafaliensis" differed from each other by a maximum of 2.2% in their cytochrome "b", Goodman and colleagues could not discern any phylogeographic structure within the species. Description. "Miniopterus mahafaliensis" is a small, short-tailed "Miniopterus" with long and dense fur. The fur of the  upperparts is brown and the hairs on the underparts have gray tips. "Miniopterus brachytragos" is similar in color, but other small Malagasy "Miniopterus" are darker. The ears are partially haired above, but virtually naked below and end in a rounded tip. The tragus (a projection on the inner side of the outer ear) is relatively thick, has the sides mostly parallel, and ends in a curved, rounded tip. The wing membrane is also brown, but the uropatagium (tail membrane) is lighter. The wing membrane and uropatagium are attached to the upper leg at the same level, above the ankle. The  uropatagium is relatively densely covered with hairs, particularly on the upper side. "M. manavi" and "M. brachytragos" also have a densely haired uropatagium, but in "M. aelleni" and "M. griveaudi" it is only sparsely haired or even mostly naked. In 66 to 74 specimens measured by Goodman and colleagues, total length was 87 to 96 mm (3.4 to 3.8 in), averaging 91.1 mm (3.59 in); tail length was 38 to 48 mm (1.5 to 1.9 in), averaging 42.4 mm (1.67 in); hindfoot length is 6 to 7 mm (0.2 to 0.3 in), averaging 6.3 mm (0.25 in); tragus length was  5 to 6 mm (0.2 to 0.2 in), averaging 5.8 mm (0.23 in); ear length was 9 to 11 mm (about 0.4 in), averaging 9.4 mm (0.37 in); forearm length was 35 to 40 mm (1.4 to 1.6 in), averaging 37.4 mm (1.47 in); and body mass was 3.8 to 7.3 g (0.13 to 0.26 oz), averaging 4.9 g (0.17 oz). There is no evidence for substantial size differences between males and females. In the skull, the rostrum (front part) is relatively long and line-shaped. The central groove in the nasal depression is relatively narrow. The frontal bones are  slightly rounded and bear a prominent sagittal crest. Further back on the braincase, the lambdoid crest is also prominent. The middle part of the palate is concave, not flat as in "M. aelleni" and "M. manavi". At the palate's back margin is a long, thin posterior palatal spine. "Miniopterus mahafaliensis" has 36 teeth in the dental formula (three incisors, one canine, three premolars, and two molars in both upper toothrows and two incisors, one canine, two premolars, and three molars in the lower toothrows). As is characteristic of "Miniopterus", the first upper premolar (P1) is smaller and more simplified  than the second (P2). Distribution and ecology. The range of "Miniopterus mahafaliensis" extends through southwestern Madagascar in the spiny forest and dry forest, often but not always near caves; it has been found on the Mahafaly Plateau, in the Forêt des Mikea, and the Kirindy Mitea National Park. Further inland, it has been found in disturbed gallery forest in Isalo National Park, in a cave in savanna habitat near Ihosy, and in unspecified habitat at Betroka. Little is known of the ecology of "M. mahafaliensis", but species of "Miniopterus" generally feed on insects, breed seasonally, and roost in large colonies  in caves.