| Large forest bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Vespadelus |
| Species: | V. darlingtoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Vespadelus darlingtoni G.M. Allen, 1933. [2] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The large forest bat (Vespadelus darlingtoni) is a common vesper bat found in southeast Australia, Tasmania, and Lord Howe Island.
The first description was published by G. M. Allen in 1933. The specimen described was obtained by Philip Darlington in northern Queensland, another member of a work group for the American Museum of Comparative Zoology, the Harvard Australian Expedition (1931–1932) led by William M. Wheeler. [2]
The fur over the back and front is a dark shade of rich brown or brownish red, nearly uniform in colour overall, the population in Tasmania may be very dark to black. [4] [5] The hair of this larger species is coarse and long. A triangular shaped feature is seen at the lower point of the mouth. [5] The patagium across the wings is grey-black. [5] The range of length in the forearm is 32 to 39 millimetres, and they weigh 4 to 10 grams. [4]
The species forearm length measures 33 to 37 mm (1.3 to 1.5 in), the head and body combined is 28 to 49 mm (1.1 to 1.9 in) long, tail length is 29 to 38 mm (1.1 to 1.5 in). The sampled weight range of 6.0 to 8.3 g (0.21 to 0.29 oz) gives an average of 7.2 g (0.25 oz). A key to a diagnosis for the species is the proportion of the phalanx bones in the third finger, the ratio of the third to second phalanges is greater than 0.84. The length of the penis is small and it has as an angular bend, the tip is not enlarged. The larger size of the Vespadelus darlingtoni distinguishes it from others of the genus, the forearm length being greater than 33 mm (1.3 in), in particular the similar species V. pumilus (eastern forest bat). The richly coloured chocolate wattled species Chalinolobus morio is separable by the absence of that species lobe at the lower lip and raised fur between the eyes. [5]
A single birth during November and December is usual for the species. [5]
Found in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia and a volcanic outcrop, Lord Howe Island, to the east of Australia. [1] The species is also recorded at Flinders and Kangaroo Island. [5] The species occurs at elevations up to 1600 metres asl, the highest record is from New South Wales. [1] They occur at all elevations in the southern regions, but the range to the north is restricted to the cooler environs at higher altitudes. [1]
Vespadelus darlingtoni is common around the eastern headwaters of the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers, favouring woodland and other habitat in the agricultural regions. [4] The habitat is associated with the Great Dividing Range. [5]
The species is common and widely distributed, and not known to be declining in population. No threats are known, and the distribution range includes conservation areas that are inhabited by the species. It is found in dry and wet eucalypt forest, rainforest, and at sub-alpine to alpine habitats. Vespadelus darlingtoni is observed in small reserves of woodland of rural areas and present at the urbanised landscape. They roost in the hollows of trees with up to sixty others of the species. [1] The population at Lord Howe is the only species of bat confirmed to living on the island. Reports of a second larger species also existing there seemed to be confirmed when a new species, Nyctophilus howensis , was described using the skull of a recently deceased individual. [4]
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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 chocolate wattled bat is a bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found only in Australia, including the island Tasmania, and widespread in southern regions. It is known to reside from sea level to at least 1,570 metres (5,150 ft) in Victoria.
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 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 western false pipistrelle, species Falsistrellus mackenziei, is a vespertilionid bat that occurs in Southwest Australia. The population is declining due to loss of its habitat, old growth in tall eucalypt forest which has largely been clear felled for tree plantations, wheat cultivation and urbanisation. Although it is one of the largest Australian bats of the family, the species was not recorded or described until the early 1960s. A darkly colored bat with reddish brown fur and prominent ears, they fly rapidly around the upper canopy of trees in pursuit of flying insects.
The eastern false pipistrelle is a vesper bat that occurs in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including the island of Tasmania.
The inland forest bat is a vesper bat that occurs in central and arid regions in Australia. They were first described in 1987, published in a review of poorly surveyed microbat populations. A tiny flying mammal, it occupies small cavities in trees and buildings while roosting. The nocturnal activity is foraging for insects, typically moths.
Vespadelus is a genus of Australian bats in the family Vespertilionidae.
The northern cave bat is a vesper bat that occurs throughout most of Australia.
The yellow-lipped cave bat is a vesper bat that only occurs in the Kimberley region of northwest Australia. The bat was first captured at Tunnel Creek in 1958 and a description published nearly twenty years later. Aside from observations of their physical characteristics, a preference for caves, and hunting insects over streams, little is known of the species.
The southern forest bat is a vesper bat found in Australia.
The little forest bat is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found only in south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It is a tiny bat often weighing less than 4 g (0.14 oz). It is sometimes referred to as Australia's smallest mammal, although the Northern or Koopmans Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus westralis, is possibly smaller, weighing on average around 3 g (0.11 oz). It is the smallest bat in Tasmania
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.
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.
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.
