Tadarida brasiliensis

(I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1824)

Brazilian Free-tailed Bat

Male, close-up side view of head. Also as Mexican Free-tailed Bat.
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Location:Mexico, CMX, 40 km W of Toluca, La GuiaDate taken:Jan 1, 1981Description:Male, close-up side view of head. Also as Mexican Free-tailed Bat.

Distribution :

S Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile to Oregon, S Nebraska and Ohio (USA); Greater and Lesser Antilles

Image courtesy of the ASM Mammal Images Library · MIL ID: 1549

Taxonomy

Subclass: Theria
Infraclass: Placentalia
Magnorder: Boreoeutheria
Superorder: Laurasiatheria
Order: Chiroptera
Suborder: Yangochiroptera
Superfamily: Vespertilionoidea
Family: Molossidae
Subfamily: Molossinae
Genus: Tadarida

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. 1824. Mémoire sur une chauve-souris américaine, formant une nouvelle espèce dans le genre Nyctinome. Annales des sciences naturelles 1:337-347.

Authority publication link

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5752603

Original name as described

Nyctinomus Brasiliensis

Other common names

Mexican Free-tailed Bat

Type material

MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1813 (= MNHN:type:230) (= MNHN-ZM-AC-A6826) (= MNHN "800"), MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1814 (= MNHN:type:230a) (= MNHN-ZM-AC-A6944) (= MNHN "801"), MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1815 (= MNHN:type:230b) (= MNHN "802"), MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1816 (= MNHN:type:230c) (= MNHN "803")

Type kind

syntypes

Type specimen URI

http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1813 http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1814 http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1815 http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1816

Type locality

"le district de Curityba [= Curitiba], " Paraná, Brazil.

Biogeographic realm

Nearctic · Neotropic

Country distribution

Anguilla · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Bahamas · Barbados · Bolivia · Bonaire · Brazil · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Chile · Colombia · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · Falkland Islands · Grenada · Guadeloupe · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Martinique · Mexico · Montserrat · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Saba · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Sint Eustatius · Sint Maarten · Trinidad and Tobago · United States · United States Virgin Islands · Uruguay · Venezuela

Subregion distribution

USA(AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WY)

Distribution notes

Leon-Alvarado, O. D., Kozlowski, K., & Soto-Centeno, J. A. (2026). Warming temperatures lead to range expansion of the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) in North America. American Museum Novitates, 2026(4056), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1206/4056.1

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Species Permalink

https://mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1005262

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.

Names and synonyms

Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details.

Total: 49 names and synonyms.

Nyctinomus Brasiliensis

I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1824

Family

Molossidae

Root name

brasiliensis

Validity status

species

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1813 (= MNHN:type:230) (= MNHN-ZM-AC-A6826) (= MNHN "800"), MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1814 (= MNHN:type:230a) (= MNHN-ZM-AC-A6944) (= MNHN "801"), MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1815 (= MNHN:type:230b) (= MNHN "802"), MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1816 (= MNHN:type:230c) (= MNHN "803")

Type kind

syntypes

Original type locality

sept ont été trouvés dans la province des Missions, les quatre autres dans le district de Curityba

Type locality

Brazil: Paraná.

Type specimen URI

http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1813 http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1814 http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1815 http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1816

Authority page

343

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5752603

Authority publication

Annales des sciences naturelles

Name usages

Schinz (1825:504, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51523921) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/66129)
Lesson (1827:105, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/54207573) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36839)
Peters (1866:573 (footnote), https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35169034) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/66062)
Frantzius (1869:263, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7058606) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/72294)
Dobson (1878:437, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/37695503) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/34111)
True (1885:603, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7306397) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35039)
Allen (1890:178) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/10046)
Flower & Lydekker (1891:670, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46965885) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/34115)
Lataste (1892:77) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/68451)
Allen (1893:237, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/26897459) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/10039)
Allen (1896:70) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/15951)
Alfaro (1897:9) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37835)
Allen (1897:33, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27046591) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/10040)
Allen (1897:48, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27046627) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/10354)
Matschie (1898:8, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53241827) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/68995)
Lahille (1899:176, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35147042) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37834)
Trouessart (1904:105, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53422934) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/59289)
Allen (1911:244, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2815328) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67867)

Dysopes nasutus:

Temminck, 1826

Family

Molossidae

Root name

nasutus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

misidentification

Type

RMNH.MAM.17575, RMNH.MAM.17576

Type kind

syntypes

Original type locality

Le Brésil, où l'espèce est très-multipliée etrépandue sur une grande étendue de pays. M. Natterer de Vienne, le prince de Neuwied, et plusieurs autres voyageurs, en ont rapporté longtemps avant que les onze individus de M. Auguste de Saint-Hilaire aient été déposés au musée de Paris.

Type locality

Brazil.

Type specimen URI

https://data.biodiversitydata.nl/naturalis/specimen/RMNH.MAM.17575 https://data.biodiversitydata.nl/naturalis/specimen/RMNH.MAM.17576

Authority page

233

Authority publication

Paris

Name usages

Lesson (1842:17) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36812)
Murray (1866:347, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15580343) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/39798)

Nyctinomus? Murinus

J. E. Gray, 1827

Family

Molossidae

Root name

murina

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Original type locality

Inhabits Jamaica? according to Redman.

Type locality

Jamaica.

Authority page

66

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34790260

Authority publication

London

Name usages

Gray (1838:501, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40026404) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/34750)
Fitzinger (1870:62, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6704465) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37104)

Nycticea cynocephala

Le Conte in McMurtrie, 1831

Family

Molossidae

Root name

cynocephala

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

USNM:MAMM:4742

Type kind

holotype

Type locality

United States: Georgia (United States): Liberty County, Georgia.

Type specimen URI

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3cf48c4a8-7a4a-42c9-97a1-338e9cd82709

Authority page

432

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28834563

Authority publication

New York

Molossus Azara

Lesson, 1836

Family

Molossidae

Root name

azara

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Original type locality

les villes au Paraguay

Type locality

Paraguay.

Authority page

143

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/62814712

Authority publication

Paris

Dysopes cynocephalus:

W. Cooper, 1837

Family

Molossidae

Root name

cynocephala

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

70

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3370141

Authority publication

Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York

Name usages

Cooper (1837:70, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3370141) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/68442)

Molossus cynocephalus:

W. Cooper, 1837

Family

Molossidae

Root name

cynocephala

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

65

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3370142

Authority publication

Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York

Name usages

Cooper (1837:65, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3370142) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/68442)
De Kay (1842:11, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2003466) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36849)
Fitzinger (1870:826, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/61942435) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37090)

Dysopes fuliginosus:

W. Cooper, 1837

Family

Molossidae

Root name

fuliginosa

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

70

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3370141

Authority publication

Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York

Name usages

Cooper (1837:70, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3370141) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/68442)

Molossus fuliginosus

W. Cooper, 1837

Family

Molossidae

Root name

fuliginosa

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type kind

holotype

Original type locality

Milledgeville, Georgia

Type locality

United States: Georgia (United States): Baldwin County, Georgia.

Authority page

67

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3370144

Authority publication

Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York

Name usages

Cooper (1837:67, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3370144) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/68442)
Simmons (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8551)

Molossus rugosus

d'Orbigny, 1837

Family

Molossidae

Root name

rugosa

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

MNHN-ZM-MO-1997-1937 (= MNHN "795j")

Type kind

holotype

Type locality

Argentina: Tucumán.

Type specimen URI

http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/zm/mo-1997-1937

Authority page

pl. 10 (figs. 3–5)

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14544153

Authority publication

Paris

Name usages

Simmons (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8551)

39 more names and synonyms available — use the desktop version to see them all.

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