Isalo Serotine

Laephotis malagasyensis is a relatively small "pipistrelle", but larger than Neoromicia somalica. The fur on the back is long and dark brown and the underparts contain both gray and dark buff hairs; there, the fur becomes lighter towards the tail. The fur is darker than in N. somalica, but paler than in L. matroka The brown ears are translucent. The tragus (a projection on the inner side of the outer ear) is similar to that of N. somalica, but may be a little narrower. Relative to the two other Malagasy Laephotis species, the tibia is short. A single baculum (penis bone), 2.2 mm long, has been studied. It resembles the baculum of L. robertsi, but is smaller. As in L. matroka, the distal (far) end is flat and displaced downwards, but the L. malagasyensis baculum has a smaller area and less well-developed flanges at the sides and a smaller vertical extension of the bone. The skull is somewhat smaller than that of L. matroka and the braincase and palate are narrower. Compared to N. somalica, the skull is broader. …

Laephotis malagasyensis is known only from the vicinity of Isalo National Park, an area of about 2,000 km2 (772 sq mi), in interior southwestern Madagascar. The holotype was caught in 1967 in a mistnet set in a row of palms along a river in dry savannah habitat. Peterson and colleagues reported that it had been collected near the village of Marinday, but Goodman and Ranivo suggested that it may instead have come from near Ilakaka. Two specimens, a male and a female, were collected at different localities in Isalo National Park in early December 2002, both in mistnets near rivers. The male had enlarged testes and the female had recently stopped lactating and had large mammae. Two others followed in 2003, also from the national park, and caught in woodland near rivers. A 2009 study on echolocation described the call of six individuals of L. malagasyensis from an unspecified site within the national park. In view of its small known range and the threat of habitat destruction, the IUCN Red List assesses the species as "vulnerable"; further research is recommended on its roosting and dietary habits.