This family is represented in Africa by two species in two genera. One species, Lavia frons, occurs marginally in the extreme northern parts of the region. The second species, Cardioderma cor, is restricted to East Africa. The Megadermatidae have very large, rounded ears and a large noseleaf that covers the whole of the muzzle. Like the Nycteridae (which they superficially resemble, but to which they are not closely related), they are ‘whispering‘ bats, emitting soft, low-intensity multi-harmonic low duty-cycle frequency-modulated (LD-FM) echolocation calls. Presumably, like the nycterids, their large ears assist with detecting and locating prey, with echolocation calls ‘switched off’ during most of this process, thereby rendering them undetectable to prey (Hill and Smith 1984, Neuweiler 1990).

Description: Lavia frons is a medium-sized bat with a mass of around 25 g. The pelage is blue-grey above and below. Individual hairs are unicoloured and long, standing away from the body and giving it a woolly appearance. The wing and tail membranes are bright mustard-yellow, contrasting strongly with the grey body. The ears are very long (42 mm) and rounded, and the tragus is long (27 mm), pointed and bilobed. An elongated noseleaf runs along the top of the muzzle from its tip to the base of the ears. The eyes are the largest of any insectivorous bat in Africa. The foot is unusual, with the first toe having two joints, the other toes three. Two conspicuous veins, flowing from the foot, exhibit a unique architecture across the interfemoral membrane as they form an inverted V-shape from where they insert at the root of the tail (Rosevear 1965). The sexes are alike, but males are smaller than females.

As in all members of the Megadermatidae, the premaxillae are vestigial, with palatal and nasal branches absent, resulting in the absence of any upper incisors. The anterior margin of the palate is broadly emarginated. A wide frontal shield is present, similar to that found in Nycteris, formed from the supraorbital ridges and postorbital processes, which join with the relatively well-developed sagittal crest. The dental formula is 0113/2123 = 26. The upper canine has a well-developed cingulum and two secondary cusps. The lower incisors are trifid. The lower premolars are both well developed, with the posterior one larger than the anterior (Rosevear 1965).

Key identification features: This striking bat is not likely to be confused with any other African bat.