Commerson's roundleaf bat (''Macronycteris commersoni''), also known as Commerson's leaf-nosed bat, is a species of bat endemic to Madagascar. It is named after French naturalist

Philibert Commerson Philibert Commerson (; 18 November 1727 – 14 March 1773), sometimes spelled Commerçon by contemporaries, was a French naturalist, best known for accompanying Louis Antoine de Bougainville on his voyage of circumnavigation in 1766–1769. ...

(1727-1773). Bat populations of Africa or

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

formerly considered part of this species are now classified separately as '' M. gigas'', '' M. thomensis'' or '' M. vattatus'', while one from Madagascar was split off to become '' M. cryptovalorona''. It was formerly placed in the genus '' Hipposideros'', but moved to the resurrected ''

Macronycteris ''Macronycteris'' is a genus of bats belonging to the family Hipposideridae The Hipposideridae are a family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often been seen as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae, of the family Rh ...

'' in 2017 on the basis of molecular evidence.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in forests of several types on Madagascar, including

dry deciduous forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

littoral forest The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

and gallery forest, at elevations from sea level to at least 1350 m. It roosts in caves, on mature trees and in buildings. While its habitat is largely intact forest, it sometimes feeds near or in villages.

Biology

Commerson's roundleaf bat is a specialized predator of beetles. It exhibits significant sexual dimorphism, with males being larger. Females vary in morphology with latitude. During the winter these bats are either inactive or they migrate to different locations.

Conservation

Populations are threatened by deforestation and hunting. The bats are particularly vulnerable to hunting as they emerge from roosting sites at dusk. Large harvests of them are apparently taken throughout west Madagascar wherever their roosting sites are in proximity to settlements. The species is present in a number of national parks and protected forests ( Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Isalo National Park, Ankarafantsika National Park,

Namoroka National Park Namoroka National Park, formerly known as Tsingy de Namoroka Strict Nature Reserve, is a national park located in the northwestern part of Madagascar in the Mahajanga Province, specifically, the Soalala District. History Namoroka Strict Natur ...

, Tsimanampetsotsa National Park, Ankarana Reserve,

Analamerana Reserve Analamerana Special Reserve (or Analamera) is a wildlife reserve in the north of Madagascar. The reserve was created in 1956 to protect its endemic plants and animals, such as the critically endangered Perrier's sifaka (''Propithecus perrieri''), ...

, Amber Mountain National Park and

Kirindy Mitea National Park The Kirindy Mitea National Park is a national park on the coast of the Mozambique Channel, in south-west Madagascar. The park contains many endemic animals and plants and claims to have the greatest density of primates in the world. Geography The ...

). Hunting in west Madagascar is thought to have caused in a 20-25% population decline in that region over 15 years. However, the species is widespread across the island and appears to tolerate a degree of habitat degradation. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

thus classifies it as a " near threatened" species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2595749 Mammals described in 1813 Mammals of Madagascar