Aellen's Vesper Bat Miniopterus
aelleni
AFP - Wed Jun 24, 1:55 pm ET
GENEVA (AFP) – Scientists have identified a new species of bat
weighing just five grammes in the Comoros island
archipelago off eastern Africa, the Natural
History Museum in Geneva said on
Wednesday.
Australian, Madagascan, Swiss and US scientists were documenting
bats in the former French colony when they
came across the new species, which originates from nearby
Madagascar, the museum said in a
statement.
The mammal has been named "Miniopterus aelleni" in honour of the
late Villy Aellen, a former head of the Geneva museum and a major
bat specialist.
Some 10 new species of mammal have been identified every year
since 2000, the museum said.
