Rafinesque, 1814
Free-tailed bats
Essential characters of the genus are as in the Family Molossidae. These bats are adapted for swift flight with the downwardly facing ears contributing towards their aerodynamic profile (Fig. 117). Two subgenera are recognised in the Indian Subcontinent. Members of the subgenus Chaerephon (T. c. plicata ) are distinguished by the premaxillae (in the skull) which are usually fused and have palatal branches isolating the two small palatal foramina. In the subgenus Tadarida (T. t. teniotis and T. t. aegyptiaca ) they are unfused, leaving a palatal emargination; in this subgenus the skull also tends to be flattened, the sagittal crest essentially absent and the third commissure of M3 well developed. Individual variation in these and other characters is so marked, however, that the retention of these subgenera is hardly more than a matter of convenience; although some authors still regard them as full genera (Koopman, 1993). Two of the three species found in the region usually have two pairs of lower incisors; one species T. teniotis usually has three pairs.
Dental formula: i - 2 - c 1 pm - 2 - 4 m 1 2 3 = 30/32.
1 2(3) 1 - 2 - 4 1 2 3
The genus includes 41 species with a geographical range that includes North, Central and South America, Africa, Eurasia and Australia (Corbet and Hill, 1992). Three species are present in the Indian subcontinent.
Species of Tadaria encountered in the Indian Subcontinent:
Tadarida teniotis
Tadarida aegyptiaca
Tadarida plicata (Chaerephon plicata)
Species identification
Jump to the Text Key of this genus Page 12: Genus Tadarida.