Sumatran mastiff bat

The Sumatran mastiff bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. It is only known from Sumatra in Indonesia. It was described in 1907 and has not been recorded since.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1907 by Danish mammalogist Knud Andersen. Andersen stated that the eponym for the specific [epithet |species name] "doriae" was Italian naturalist Giacomo Doria, who "always so generously placed his intimate knowledge of Chiroptera and the rich collections of Museo Civico di [Storia Naturale di Genova|the Museum] under his charge at the service of specialists." Andersen had obtained the holotype from Doria's museum in Genoa. The holotype had been initially collected by German entomologist Heinrich [Wolfgang Ludwig Dohrn]

Description

Andersen wrote that it was most similar in appearance to Peters's wrinkle-lipped bat, Mormopterus jugularis.

Range and habitat

The holotype was collected in Soekaranda in the Deli [Serdang Regency] of northwest Sumatra, which is part of Indonesia. It was collected below above sea level.

Conservation

As of 2016, the IUCN considers it as a data deficient species, meaning that there is not sufficient information available to evaluate threats to this species. Previously, it was considered vulnerable from 1996-2008. The only individual ever documented was the holotype described by Andersen in 1907.