Arnhem sheath-tailed bat

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Arnhem sheath-tailed bat
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Emballonuridae
Genus: Taphozous
Species:
T. kapalgensis
Binomial name
Taphozous kapalgensis
McKean & Friend, 1979. [2]
Arnham Tomb Bat area.png
Arnhem sheath-tailed bat

The Arnhem sheath-tailed bat, species (Taphozous kapalgensis) is an emballonurid bat found at the Top End of Australia. The species is also referred to as the white-striped sheathtail for the distinguishing marks at the flank, a feature observable beneath the wing when the animal is in flight. Records of the species are rare.

Contents

Taxonomy

A species allied to the genus Taphozous , which includes emballonurid bat species in Australia and other continents. [3] [4] The population was described as a new species in 1979 by John McKean and Gordon Friend, nominating a holotype that was collected near South Alligator River in the Northern Territory of Australia. The species name "kapalgensis" means "belonging to Kapalga;" Kapalga is the type locality for the species. [2]

The common names include Arnhem sheath-tailed bat and white-striped sheathtail-bat. [5] [6]

Description

The pelage of the species is paler or mid-tone in colour, and the brownish fur frequently has an orange hue, with a distinctive broad and almost white stripe beneath the wing on their flank. [7] [8] The forearm length ranges from 57 to 63 millimetres (2.2 to 2.5 in), their wingspan is around 42 centimetres (17 in), the length of the tail is 22–23 millimetres (0.87–0.91 in) and the head and body combined is 69 to 74 millimetres (2.7 to 2.9 in). The measured range from base to tip of the ear is 16 to 18 millimetres (0.63 to 0.71 in). [7] The average weight is 26 grams (0.92 oz). [2]

They use ultrasonic signals to navigate and locate prey, a typical feature of microchiropterans, and their echolocation call is distinctive but potentially ambiguous in recordings. [1] The flight pattern shows abrupt changes in direction while they pursue prey at a rapid speed. Taphozous kapalgensis forage and commute at altitudes above the height of the trees, although they may also feed closer to open water. [6]

Range and habitat

The distribution range is the western areas of the Top End of the Australian continent, perhaps extending beyond this region to the northwest. Observations of the species are rare. [8] The species was first recorded at the Alligator Rivers area. The local inhabitants of the region informed researchers that the species was also found at the Roper and Rose River. [6] This indigenous source of information also stated that the species roosts in and forages around pandanus trees at that location. [1]

Taphozous kapalgensis has only been sighted in the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory, although there is evidence that its range may be larger. The range is extended to the northwest of the continent, following analysis of echolocation signals found in aural surveys in the Kimberley region and at the western state and territory border. [1]

The habitat of the recorded sites, less than twenty, are in mangrove and floodplains, associated woodlands, or fragments of monsoonal forest types; they have also been observed feeding near paperbark swamps dominated by wetland melaleuca trees. [1] [8] [6] Taphozous kapalgensis is assumed to occupy tree hollows, at least it is not recorded near the rocky terrain preferred by other species of bat. [1] The species has been recorded as occupying one cave, a colony found cohabiting with the ghost bat Macroderma gigas . [8] The roost sites may include the reported pandanus habitat, in which similar species occupy beneath old branches against the trunk. [1] The particular habitat types noted for T. kapalgensis include swamps at blacksoil plains or open woodlands of tree species Corymbia papuana and Pandanus spiralis . They are also recorded at more complex vegetation of tropical eucalypt woodland, whose species include Corymbia papuana interspersed with Corymbia clavigera and Eucalyptus tectifica . [6]

Conservation

As of 2017, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN. Part of its range consists of protected areas. [1] The species is listed in the register of the Northern Territory as near threatened. [9]

Related Research Articles

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Emballonuridae is a family of microbats, many of which are referred to as sac-winged or sheath-tailed bats. They are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The earliest fossil records are from the Eocene.

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<i>Nyctophilus arnhemensis</i> Species of bat

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The northern cave bat is a vespertilionid bat that occurs in most of Australia.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

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<i>Saccolaimus</i> Genus of bats

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papuan sheath-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naked-rumped pouched bat</span> Species of bat

The naked-rumped pouched bat, also known as the pouched tomb bat, is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae.

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Taphozous is a genus of the family Emballonuridae. The wide distribution of the genus includes several regions of Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Africa. Taphozous comes from the Greek τάφος, meaning "a tomb". The common names for species include variants on sac-winged, sheathtail, or tomb bats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal sheath-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

The coastal sheath-tailed bat, or coastal tomb bat, is a species of sheath-tailed bat in the family Emballonuridae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common sheath-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

The common sheathtail bat, is a bat in the family Emballonuridae, occurring in northern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hill's sheath-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troughton's sheath-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-striped free-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

The white-striped free-tailed bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. Its echolocation calls are audible to humans, which is a characteristic found in only a few microbat species. The species was formerly classified as Tadarida australis.

<i>Setirostris</i> Genus of bats

Setirostris eleryi is a species of small insectivorous bat found in inland eastern Australia. It is the sole species of the molossid genus Setirostris, a name that refers to the coarse bristles on their faces. Earlier common names have referred to this unique feature, and the 'free-tail' that is a common feature of its microchiropteran family, the Molossidae; no single common name emerged during the taxonomic revisions that identified what was referred to as the bristle-faced freetail.

<i>Nyctophilus major</i> Species of bat

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Armstrong, K.N.; Burbidge, A.H.; Milne, D.J.; Reardon, T.B.; Woinarsky, J. (2017). "Taphozous kapalgensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T21458A22110830. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T21458A22110830.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 McKean, J. L.; Friend, G. R. (1979). "Taphozous kapalgensis, a new species of Sheath-tailed bat from the Northern Territory, Australia". The Victorian Naturalist. 96: 239–241.
  3. Chimimba, C.T.; Kitchener, D.J. (1991). "A systematic revision of Australian Emballonuridae (Mammalia: Chiroptera)". Records of the Western Australian Museum. Western Australian Museum. 15 (1): 203–265.
  4. Simmons, N.B. (2005). "Order Chiroptera". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 383. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  5. Van Dyke, S. and Strahan, R. (eds.) (2008) The Mammals of Australia, Third Edition, New Holland / Queensland Museum, Brisbane ISBN   978-1-877069-25-3
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 McKean, J.L. (1983). "White-striped Sheathtail-bat Tazophous kalpagensis". In Strahan, R. (ed.). Complete book of Australian mammals. The national photographic index of Australian wildlife (1 ed.). London: Angus & Robertson. pp. 291–293. ISBN   0207144540.
  7. 1 2 Menkhorst, P.W.; Knight, F. (2011). A field guide to the mammals of Australia (3rd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 146. ISBN   9780195573954.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Andrew, D. (2015). Complete Guide to Finding the Mammals of Australia. CSIRO Publishing. p. 321. ISBN   9780643098145.
  9. "Taphozous kapalgensis : Arnhem Sheathtail-Bat". bie.ala.org.au. Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 12 February 2019.