NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Big-eared Mastiff Bat
Otomops papuensis Lawrence, 1948
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The big-eared mastiff bat (Otomops papuensis) is a species of bat in the Molossidae family endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is only known from eleven specimens and it is not easy to survey. It forages in rainforest canopy and roosts in tree hollows. It is likely more widespread than currently known but additional research is needed.
Wikipedia contributors, Big-eared mastiff bat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:06:01.471910+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Otomops papuensis Lawrence, 1948
- Name authority
- Lawrence, 1948
- Common name
- Big-eared Mastiff Bat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Molossidae
- Genus
- Otomops
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderChiroptera Blumenbach, 1779
- suborderYangochiroptera Koopman, 1984
- superfamilyVespertilionoidea Gray, 1821
- familyMolossidae Gervais, 1856
- subfamilyMolossinae Gervais, 1856
- genusOtomops Thomas, 1913
- speciesOtomops papuensis Lawrence, 1948
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Otomops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison's Giant Mastiff BatOtomops harrisoni Ralph, Richards, Taylor, Napier & Lamb, 2015 | MolossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Johnstone's Giant Mastiff BatOtomops johnstonei Kitchener, How & Maryanto, 1992 | MolossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Madagascar Giant Mastiff BatOtomops madagascariensis Dorst, 1953 | MolossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Large-eared Free-tailed BatOtomops martiensseni (Matschie, 1897) | MolossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mantled Giant Mastiff BatOtomops secundus Hayman, 1952 | MolossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Wroughton's Free-tailed BatOtomops wroughtoni (Thomas, 1913) | MolossidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=632251 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4B7K3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.