| Eastern long-eared bat | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Nyctophilus |
| Species: | N. bifax |
| Binomial name | |
| Nyctophilus bifax | |
The eastern long-eared bat (Nyctophilus bifax) is a small flying mammal, a vespertilionid bat. It is found in eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The first description of the species was published in 1915 by Oldfield Thomas, [2] based on a male type specimen obtained from the Herberton district in the north of Queensland. [3]
Alternate names, aside from eastern long-eared bat, include the northern or north Queensland long-eared bat. [4]
A species of Nyctophilus , smaller insectivorous bats of the widespread and diverse family Vespertilionidae, the common evening bats.
The flight of the species is sometimes in quick and straight directions, less usual in other nyctophilus species, but they are able to assume a typical slower fluttering hover to capture prey. The foraging methods includes gleaning, taking insects from foliage or bark of plants, and adopts a perching stratagem or takes to the ground. [4]
The species resides under the loose papery bark of melaleuca, amongst dense foliage, or in tree hollows. The distribution range is associated with wet forest habitat between Cape York and the north of New South Wales, rainforest and vegetation at permanent water are the typical environs. Drier areas nearby the wetter habitat is also used by the species, in woodland and forests that provide suitable food or refuge. They are often seen hunting at the edge of forests, using their characteristic foraging techniques; a well known population occurs at the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park. [4]
In Australia, the range extends into subtropical regions, and it has been recorded from a few widely scattered localities in New Guinea. [1] [4]
The IUCN red list (2021) notes the species as least concern, widespread and not shown to be in decline. The assessment included the subspecies Nyctophilus bifax daedalus , but anticipated the elevation to full species. [1] [5] [lower-alpha 1]
The New Guinea big-eared bat or Papuan big-eared bat,, is a vesper bat endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to ongoing habitat loss. It is the only known member of the genus Pharotis, which is closely related to Nyctophilus.
Gould's long-eared bat is a microbat found in southern regions of Australia. It occurs in eastern Australia, from Queensland to Victoria, and in a smaller isolated range in the south-west of Western Australia.
The eastern or Queensland tube-nosed bat is a megabat in the family Pteropodidae that lives in north-eastern Australia. N. robinsoni is one of the few species of megabat that roosts solitarily. They get their common name from their raised tubular nostrils which are unlike those of most other species in the family. They are a deep brown with gray heads and sparse yellow spotting.
Nyctophilus arnhemensis, known as the northern or Arnhem long-eared bat, is a species of Chiroptera (bats) native to northern regions of Australia. The distribution range is from north-western Queensland to northern Western Australia.
Nyctophilus geoffroyi is a vespertilionid bat. a flying nocturnal mammal found in Australia, The species is relatively common. They have been referred to as the lesser long-eared bat.
The Lord Howe long-eared bat was a vespertilionid bat known only by a single specimen, a skull found on Lord Howe Island in 1972. A mammalian insectivorous species resembling the long-eared Nyctophilus, with an elongated head that is comparatively larger, about which almost nothing is known. The bat may have been casually observed in flight during the twentieth century, but is likely to have become extinct since the island's discovery and occupation. The demise of N. howensis is possibly the result of shipwrecked rats and the owls introduced to control them.
The small-toothed long-eared bat is a species of vespertilionid bat found only in Papua New Guinea.
The south-eastern long-eared bat or Corben's long-eared bat, is a species of bat found in Australia. It occurs in the woodlands of the Murray Darling Basin and adjacent areas.
The pygmy long-eared bat is a vesper bat, found in the north of the Australian continent. An insectivorous flying hunter, they are one of the tiniest mammals in Australia, weighing only a few grams and one or two inches long.
The flute-nosed bat is a vespertilionid bat with an unusually shaped nose, the tubular nostrils facing outward from the end of the muzzle. They occur in the north of the Australian state of Queensland, in Indonesia, and on Papua New Guinea.
The southern forest bat is a vesper bat found in Australia.
Nyctophilus is a genus of the vespertilionids or vesper bats. They are often termed Australian big-eared bats or long-eared bats, as the length of their ears often greatly exceeds that of the head. This genus occurs in the New Guinean-Australian region.
The New Caledonian long-eared bat is a vesper bat found in New Caledonia. They are only recorded at Mount Koghis, near Nouméa, and the population is decreasing.
Nyctophilus daedalus is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae, a flying mammal endemic to northern Australia. They are also referred to as the pallid long-eared bat or northern long-eared bat.
The Mount Missim long-eared bat is a species of vesper bat found in Papua New Guinea.
The Tasmanian long-eared bat is a species of vesper bat endemic to Tasmania.
Nyctophilus major, referred to as a western long-eared bat, is a species found in forests and woodlands of Southwest Australia.
The Holts' long-eared bat is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is endemic to Australia, where it is only found in the southwestern corner of Western Australia.
Vespertilionini is a tribe of bats in the family Vespertilionidae. The largest of the tribes in Vespertilioninae, it contains many genera found throughout the Old World and Australasia.
