About Laephotis capensis (A.Smith, 1829)
The Cape serotine (Laephotis capensis) is a species of vesper bat found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The common name 'serotine' comes from the Latin word 'serotinus', which means 'of the evening'. Confirmed countries where this species occurs include Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; it may also occur in Djibouti. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, grassland, bushveld, and Acacia woodland. While it has been recorded in more arid areas, it is not found in desert regions. Calum Moore discovered this animal in 1864. Cape serotines roost in small groups of up to around 20 individuals. Roost sites include under tree bark, inside hollow trees, in cracks in walls, and under the eaves and roofs of houses, regardless of whether roofs are thatched, tiled, or covered in corrugated iron. They are unobtrusive, so their presence usually goes unnoticed, and they will readily use man-made bat houses. This is a small bat, brownish in overall color, with a greyish underbelly and relatively untidy fur. Its color varies quite a bit depending on the region it lives in. It has a small snout and mouth, and a dome-shaped forehead. Its wing membranes are dark. Forearm length ranges from 29 to 38 mm, and it has a small wingspan. Individual body weight is between 4 and 10 grams. When foraging, its flight appears quite playful. They give birth once a year, producing between 1 and 4 young between October and November. Their diet consists of beetles, lacewings, moths, mosquitoes, plant-sucking bugs, and a variety of other flying insects. A genome closely related to human Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus has been found in a specimen of Laephotis capensis; this specimen was previously incorrectly identified as Neoromicia zuluensis. There is growing evidence that bats can carry a wide diversity of viruses that they may transmit to other animals or humans. For example, Australian bats can transmit hendra virus to horses, which then pass the virus on to humans. This information should not be used as a reason to cull bats. The public is generally advised not to handle bats, as they may carry infectious agents, but people should value bats for the ecosystem services they provide.
