Coiban Mastuff Bat vs Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat

Molossus coibensis compared with Balantiopteryx infusca

Key Differences

• Coiban Mastuff Bat is Least Concern while Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coiban Mastuff Bat	Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order same	Chiroptera (рукокрылые)	Chiroptera (рукокрылые)
Family	Molossidae	Emballonuridae
Genus	Molossus	Balantiopteryx
Species	Molossus coibensis	Balantiopteryx infusca

Evolutionary Relationship

Coiban Mastuff Bat and Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat share a common ancestor at the Order level: Chiroptera. (рукокрылые)

Conservation Status

Coiban Mastuff Bat

LC — Least Concern

Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coiban Mastuff Bat	Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat
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.

Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador