Asellia tridens

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	CHIROPTERA	HIPPOSIDERIDAE

Scientific Name:

Asellia tridens

Species Authority:

(É. Geoffroy, 1813)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Geoffroy's Trident Leaf-nosed Bat, Trident Bat, Trident Leaf-nosed Bat

Taxonomic Notes:

Simmons (2005) lists three subspecies: Asellia tridens diluta Anderson, 1881; A. t. italosomalica De Beauz, 1931; and A. t. murraiana Anderson, 1881.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

Kock, D., Amr, Z., Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, A.M. & Bergmans, W.

Reviewer/s:

Hutson, A.M., Racey, P.A. (Chiroptera Red List Authority) & Temple, H. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

History:

2004	–	Least Concern
1996	–	Lower Risk/least concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Geoffroy's trident leaf-nosed bat ranges widely in the Sahara, through the Arabian peninsula and the Middle East, to Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is absent from the northern parts of Morocco and Algeria, and Tunisia, and occurs south to Ethiopia and Somalia.
Countries:	Native: Afghanistan; Algeria; Burkina Faso; Chad; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Israel; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Mali; Mauritania; Morocco; Niger; Oman; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Somalia; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia; Western Sahara; Yemen Presence uncertain: Iraq; Kuwait; Lebanon; Qatar; United Arab Emirates
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is a very common species, found in colonies of up to several hundred in North Africa, and in its Asian distribution it has been found in groups up to 5,000 animals.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This is a gregarious and colonial species which occurs in crevices or in cliffs in arid and semi-desert habitats. It roosts in temples, caves, mines, open-wells, underground irrigation tunnels and old tombs and buildings. Forages over desert and semi-desert vegetation zones, mainly in oases. Forages by slow hawking, has been observed foraging around palm trees and buildings, and over water.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The main threat is the widespread use of pesticides against locusts. Human disturbance in caves and old buildings is affecting some populations.

Major Threat(s):

The main threat is the widespread use of pesticides against locusts. Human disturbance in caves and old buildings is affecting some populations.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	It presumably occurs in several protected areas. Underground roost management is needed in some places. A study on the impacts of pesticides is required, especially ways in which the impact might be minimised.

Conservation Actions:

It presumably occurs in several protected areas. Underground roost management is needed in some places. A study on the impacts of pesticides is required, especially ways in which the impact might be minimised.

Citation:	Kock, D., Amr, Z., Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, A.M. & Bergmans, W. 2008. Asellia tridens. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2012.
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