Black mastiff bat

The black mastiff bat (Molossus rufus) is a widespread bat species that ranges across northern South America, most of Central America and parts of southern Mexico. French naturalist Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire described it as a new species in 1805, from a holotype collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. Males have a forearm length of 48.5 to 54.0 millimetres and females 47 to 53 millimetres. The fur on its back is usually shorter than 3.5 millimetres, individuals weigh 27 to 31 grams, and it has 26 teeth. Its habitat includes forests and shrublands, and it uses human structures as roosts. The IUCN evaluated it as least concern in 2015 because it has a wide geographic range, a presumably large population and is unlikely to be declining rapidly. The species is known to be affected by the polyctenid parasitic bug Hesperoctenes fumarius.