Coiban Mastuff Bat vs Common Eyelash

Molossus coibensis compared with Scutellinia scutellata

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coiban Mastuff Bat	Common Eyelash
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes)
Order	Chiroptera (Bats)	Pezizales (Pezizales)
Family	Molossidae	Pyronemataceae
Genus	Molossus	Scutellinia
Species	Molossus coibensis	Scutellinia scutellata

Conservation Status

Coiban Mastuff Bat

LC — Least Concern

Common Eyelash

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coiban Mastuff Bat	Common Eyelash
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coiban Mastuff Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Common Eyelash

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

Coiban Mastuff Bat

The Coiban Mastuff Bat (Molossus coibensis) is a small free-tailed bat in the family Molossidae, named for Coiba Island off the Pacific coast of Panama, where specimens were first collected. Members of the genus Molossus are robust, fast-flying insectivores adapted to open-air foraging above the forest canopy and over water, characterised by narrow wings and a tail that extends beyond the patagium (wing membrane). Molossus coibensis inhabits lowland tropical forests and adjacent open habitats in Central America and northwestern South America, with confirmed records from Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Panama, indicating a distributional range that extends well beyond its type locality on Coiba Island. Like other mastiff bats, it roosts in crevices within buildings, rock faces, and hollow trees, emerging at dusk to pursue aerial insects at speed. The species feeds primarily on large beetles, moths, and other night-flying insects, typically hunted high above the forest. It is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN based on its relatively wide range and tolerance of modified habitats. Molossus coibensis was long treated as a subspecies of Molossus molossus before being recognised as a distinct species based on morphological and molecular evidence. Ecological and life-history data specific to this taxon remain limited.

Common Eyelash

The Common Eyelash (<em>Scutellinia scutellata</em>) is a small cup fungus belonging to the genus Scutellinia within the family Pyronemataceae. It is recognised by its distinctive scarlet to bright red disc-shaped fruiting body, typically measuring just a few millimetres across, and fringed with dark brown hair-like structures resembling eyelashes, from which its common name derives. This species is native to Asia and Europe and North America, and typically inhabits decomposing wood, moist soil, and other organic substrates in humid environments. Its geographic range is wide, with confirmed records across Asia including Taiwan, Europe including Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Portugal, North America including the United States, and South America including Brazil. <em>Scutellinia scutellata</em> is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its broad distribution and apparent abundance. Biological traits such as lifespan, size, and specific dietary habits remain poorly documented in the scientific literature, though as a saprotrophic fungus it typically obtains nutrients by decomposing dead organic matter.