Cheiromeles
Genus of bats
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| Cheiromeles | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cheiromeles torquatus museum specimen | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Molossidae |
| Genus: | Cheiromeles Horsfield, 1824 |
| Type species | |
| Cheiromeles torquata Horsfield, 1824 | |
| Species | |
|
2, see text | |
There are two species in this genus:[2]
- Lesser naked bat Cheiromeles parvidens
- Hairless bat Cheiromeles torquatus
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