Mops (bat)
genus of mammals
Mops (mastiff bats or free-tailed bats) is a genus of bats in the family Molossidae. Molecular sequence data indicates that Mops and Chaerephon are not monophyletic taxa. However, the grouping of Chaerephon and Mops was found to be monophyletic when excluding C. jobimena.
Species within this genus are:
Genus Mops - greater mastiff bats
Duke of Abruzzi's free-tailed bat, Mops aloysiisabaudiae
Ansorge's free-tailed bat, Mops ansorgei
Mops atsinanana
Bakari's free-tailed bat, Mops bakarii
Gland-tailed free-tailed bat, Mops bemmeleni
Spotted free-tailed bat, Mops bivittatus
Sierra Leone free-tailed bat, Mops brachypterus
Fijian mastiff bat, Mops bregullae
Chapin's free-tailed bat, Mops chapini
Angolan free-tailed bat, Mops condylurus
Medje free-tailed bat, Mops congicus
Mongalla free-tailed bat, Mops demonstrator
Gallagher's free-tailed bat, Mops gallagheri
Northern freetail bat, Mops jobensis
Mops jobimena
Northern free-tailed bat, Mops johorensis
Grandidier's free-tailed bat, Mops leucogaster
Malagasy white-bellied free-tailed bat, Mops leucostigma
Lappet-eared free-tailed bat, Mops major
Midas free-tailed bat, Mops midas
Malayan free-tailed bat, Mops mops
Dwarf free-tailed bat, Mops nanulus
Niangara free-tailed bat, Mops niangarae
Nigerian free-tailed bat Mops nigeriae
White-bellied free-tailed bat, Mops niveiventer
Peterson's free-tailed bat, Mops petersoni
Wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat, Mops plicatus
Little free-tailed bat, Mops pumilus
Mops pusillus
Russet free-tailed bat, Mops russatus
Sulawesi free-tailed bat, Mops sarasinorum
Solomons mastiff bat, Mops solomonis
Spurrell's free-tailed bat, Mops spurrelli
Railer bat, Mops thersites
São Tomé free-tailed bat, Mops tomensis
Trevor's free-tailed bat, Mops trevori
References
Literature cited
Nowak, Ronald (1991). Walker's Mammals of the World, Fifth Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-3970-X.
Simmons, N.B. (2005). "Order Chiroptera". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.).
“Mops (bat)” enters the record as genus of mammals. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Mops, genus and mammals can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Mops (bat)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Mops, genus and mammals provides the most credible route into that argument.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 11, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q287351. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1991 and 2005.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Mops (bat)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Mops (bat) primary sources, Mops (bat) archive and Mops research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Mops (bat)”?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Mops (bat)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.