Aspects of reproduction in the seasonally breeding African yellow bat, Scotophilus dinganii (A. Smith, 1833)

Abstract

Monthly collections of the African yellow bat, Scotophilus dinganii, were made in the Kruger National Park. Examination of serially sectioned reproductive tracts of females showed that the African yellow bat is a monoestrous species and that insemination, ovulation and fertilization took place during mid to late autumn (April to May). Early embryonic development of normally two embryos (one in each uterine horn) was retarded and implantation delayed until mid-winter (July), when the blastocysts implanted.

Keywords: Vespertilionidae, Scotophilus dinganii, African yellow bat, delayed implantation