Coiban Mastuff Bat vs Japanese Short-tailed Bat

Molossus coibensis compared with Eptesicus japonensis

Key Differences

• Coiban Mastuff Bat is Least Concern while Japanese Short-tailed Bat is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coiban Mastuff Bat	Japanese Short-tailed Bat
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class same	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order same	Chiroptera (翼手目)	Chiroptera (翼手目)
Family	Molossidae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Molossus	Eptesicus
Species	Molossus coibensis	Eptesicus japonensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Coiban Mastuff Bat and Japanese Short-tailed Bat share a common ancestor at the Order level: Chiroptera. (翼手目)

Conservation Status

Coiban Mastuff Bat

LC — Least Concern

Japanese Short-tailed Bat

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coiban Mastuff Bat	Japanese Short-tailed 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.

Japanese Short-tailed Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.