Coiban Mastuff Bat vs Common Grey

Molossus coibensis compared with Scoparia ambigualis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coiban Mastuff Bat	Common Grey
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Chiroptera (Bats)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Molossidae	Crambidae
Genus	Molossus	Scoparia
Species	Molossus coibensis	Scoparia ambigualis

Evolutionary Relationship

Coiban Mastuff Bat and Common Grey share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Coiban Mastuff Bat

LC — Least Concern

Common Grey

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coiban Mastuff Bat	Common Grey
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 Grey

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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 Grey

<em>Scoparia ambigualis</em>, commonly known as the common grey, is a small moth belonging to the genus Scoparia within the family Crambidae. This species inhabits virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats and has a documented range across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in northwestern and Scandinavian Europe. Common grey is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species is typically encountered in a variety of open and semi-open habitats including heathland, grassland, and woodland edges, where its cryptically patterned grey and white forewings provide effective camouflage at rest. Adults are typically nocturnal and are attracted to light. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.