The black mastiff bat (''Molossus rufus'') is a bat species. It ranges from the northern region of South America (excluding Chile), most of Central America (excluding Belize) and parts of southern Mexico.

Taxonomy

The black mastiff bat was described as a new species in 1805 by French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. The holotype had been collected in

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; gcr, Kayenn) is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Oc ...

, French Guiana.

Description

Males have a forearm length ranging from and females' forearm lengths are . The fur of its back is usually shorter than . Individuals weight . It has a dental formula of for a total of 26 teeth.

Range and habitat

The black mastiff bat is a widespread species, occurring throughout much of Central and South America. Its range includes the following countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. Its habitat includes forests and shrublands, with human structures used as roosts.

Conservation

As of 2015, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by 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 ...

. It meets the criteria for this classification because it has a wide geographic range; its population is presumably large; and it is unlikely to be experiencing rapid population decline. The species is known to be impacted by the polyctenid parasitic bug ''Hesperoctenes fumarius''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1830633 Molossus (bat) Mammals of Mexico Mammals of Peru Mammals of Colombia Mammals of Ecuador Bats of Brazil Mammals of Bolivia Mammals of Paraguay Mammals of Argentina Mammals described in 1805 Bats of Central America Bats of South America Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire