''Molossus'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
bats
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
. The genus contains ten species with a
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
distribution from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in the north to northern
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
at its most southerly limit. Four of these species have distributions that include various islands in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
such as
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
or
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
.
The genus belongs to a group commonly referred to as free-tailed bats. Its name is from the ancient
Molossus breed of shepherd dog.
[''The Mammals of the Southern African Sub-region'' by J. D. Skinner, , 2006, p. 277, "The name of the ree-tailed batsfamily is derived from the Greek ''molossus'', a kind of dog used by Greek shepherds in ancient times."]
Systematics
The following species are recognised:
* ''
Molossus alvarezi''
* ''
Molossus aztecus''
Saussure, 1860[
]
*''
Molossus barnesi''
* ''
Molossus coibensis''
Allen, 1904
* ''
Molossus currentium''
Thomas, 1901
* ''
Molossus molossus
The velvety free-tailed bat or Pallas's mastiff bat (''Molossus molossus''), is a bat species in the family Molossidae.
Description
''M. molossus'' is a medium-sized bat, with a length of and with a wingspan of . This species is brown in color ...
''
(Pallas, 1766)
* ''
Molossus pretiosus''
Miller, 1902
* ''
Molossus rufus''
E. Geoffroy, 1805
* ''
Molossus sinaloae''
References
Bibliography
*
Bat genera
Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
{{Molossidae-stub