Gallagher's free-tailed bat (''Mops gallagheri'') is a
free-tailed bat
The Molossidae, or free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the order Chiroptera.
The Molossidae is the fourth-largest family of bats, containing about 110 species as of 2012. They are generally quite robust, and consist of many strong-flyi ...
endemic to the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
. Only one individual has ever been documented.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was
described as a new species in 1975 by David Harrison. The
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
for the
species name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...
"''gallagheri''" was Major Michael D. Gallagher, who collected the
holotype
A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...
.
Its distinct
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
has called into question whether it represents its own genus of bat.
Description

Its fur is
umber
Umber is a natural brown earth pigment that contains iron oxide and manganese oxide. In its natural form, it is called raw umber. When calcined, the color becomes warmer and it becomes known as burnt umber.
Its name derives from ''terra d'omb ...
in color, with the belly paler than its back. The fur is short, with individual hairs only long.
Its
flight membranes are grayish-black.
It is a small
free-tailed bat
The Molossidae, or free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the order Chiroptera.
The Molossidae is the fourth-largest family of bats, containing about 110 species as of 2012. They are generally quite robust, and consist of many strong-flyi ...
, with a forearm length of .
Its total length is ; its ear length is ; its tail is long; its hind foot is long.
Its greatest length of skull is . Its ears are large and conjoined via the interaural membrane.
The interaural membrane has a deep, backwards-facing pocket containing an interaural crest with hairs approximately in length. The bat is likely able to evert this pocket to display the crest.
It is unique in its family due to the presence of large, paired "nasal inflations" similar to those found in the
mouse-tailed bat
Mouse-tailed bats are a group of insectivorous microbats of the family Rhinopomatidae with only three to six species, all contained in the single genus ''Rhinopoma''. They are found in the Old World, from North Africa to Thailand and Sumatra, i ...
s.
Like other free-tailed bats, its tail extends beyond the margin of the
uropatagium
The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, birds, some dromaeosau ...
. It has a blunt
snout
A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, rostrum, or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the nose of many mammals is ...
. Its wings are long and narrow.
Biology and ecology
As only one individual—a male—has been documented, little is known about its biology and ecology. Based on other members of its genus, it is hypothesized that Gallagher's free-tailed bat forages for insects at relatively high altitudes with a fast but not maneuverable flight.
Range and habitat
The holotype was collected in the Scierie Forest, approximately southwest of
Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It was captured in a
mist net
Mist nets are used by hunters and poachers, but also by ornithologists and chiropterologists to capture wild birds and bats for banding or other research projects. Mist nets are typically made of nylon or polyester mesh suspended between two ...
that was placed in the evergreen undergrowth of a partly-
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...
forest.
The forest where the holotype was collected has been heavily logged.
It is nocturnal, possibly roosting in hollow trees, rock crevices, or caves during the day.
Conservation
It is currently evaluated as
data deficient
A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessarily ...
by the
IUCN, meaning that not enough information is available to assess its conservation needs. From 1996–2008, it was considered
critically endangered, the most dire assessment category. This species is known from only one individual ever documented—the holotype. Threats to this species are unclear, but possibly include
habitat destruction
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1829881
Mops (bat)
Bats of Africa
Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Endemic fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mammals described in 1975
EDGE species
Southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic