Cheiromeles | |
---|---|
Cheiromeles torquatus museum specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Molossidae |
Genus: |
Cheiromeles Horsfield, 1824 |
Type species | |
Cheiromeles torquata Horsfield, 1824
| |
Species | |
2, see text |
Cheiromeles is a genus of bats in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. [1] The genus was erected and described by Thomas Horsfield, who developed the name from the Greek word cheir ("hand"), a reference to the hand-like hindfoot, which has a toe that flexes like an opposable thumb. [2] These bats have mostly hairless bodies and fold their wings into pouches of skin along their bodies when at rest. [3] These are among the largest insectivorous bats, weighing up to 135 grams. [4]
There are two species in this genus: [2]
Cheiromeles | |
---|---|
Cheiromeles torquatus museum specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Molossidae |
Genus: |
Cheiromeles Horsfield, 1824 |
Type species | |
Cheiromeles torquata Horsfield, 1824
| |
Species | |
2, see text |
Cheiromeles is a genus of bats in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. [1] The genus was erected and described by Thomas Horsfield, who developed the name from the Greek word cheir ("hand"), a reference to the hand-like hindfoot, which has a toe that flexes like an opposable thumb. [2] These bats have mostly hairless bodies and fold their wings into pouches of skin along their bodies when at rest. [3] These are among the largest insectivorous bats, weighing up to 135 grams. [4]
There are two species in this genus: [2]