Austronomus, known as Australasian free-tailed bats,[1] is a molossid genus of microchiropterans. The two recognised species are the white-striped Austronomus australis, found in a wide distribution range across Australia, and the New Guinea species Austronomus kuboriensis.[2]
Austronomus | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Molossidae |
Genus: | Austronomus Troughton, 1944 |
The genus name was first proposed by Tom Iredale and Ellis Troughton in 1934, but this lacked a formal description until Troughton included one in his Furred animals of Australia (1944). The type species of the genus is Molossus australis Gray, 1838.
Austronomus has previously been considered a synonym of Tadarida, a widespread genus of freetail bats. However, morphological evidence suggests that this broad concept of Tadarida is not monophyletic[3].
References
edit- ^ Murray Wrobel: Elsevier's Dictionary of Mammals. Elsevier 2006, ISBN 978-0-444-51877-4.
- ^ "Genus Austronomus Troughton, 1941". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government. December 2018.
- ^ Gregorin, Renato; Cirranello, Andrea (April 1, 2015). "Phylogeny of Molossidae Gervais (Mammalia: Chiroptera) inferred by morphological data". Cladistics. 32 (1): 2–35. doi:10.1111/cla.12117. PMID 34732020.