New Guinea big-eared bat | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Vespertilionidae |
Tribe: | Vespertilionini |
Genus: | Pharotis Thomas, 1914 |
Species: | P. imogene |
Binomial name | |
Pharotis imogene Thomas, 1914 | |
The New Guinea big-eared bat or Papuan big-eared bat, (Pharotis imogene), is a vesper bat endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to ongoing habitat loss. [1] It is the only known member of the genus Pharotis, which is closely related to Nyctophilus .
Previously, the species was believed to have been extinct since 1890. In 2014, researchers realized that a female bat collected near Kamali in 2012 was a member of this species. [2]
The genus Pharotis and the species Pharotis imogene were both described in 1914 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas. The specimens used by Thomas to describe the species had been collected by Lamberto Loria in 1890. Thomas obtained the specimens via Giacomo Doria of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale. [3] The etymology of the prefix "phar-" is unclear. The suffix "-otis" is from Ancient Greek "οὖς," meaning "ear". [4] Furthermore, the etymology or eponym of imogene is also unclear.
An arrangement within the family Vespertilionidae, the common evening bats, allies this genus to the similar Nyctophilus , within subfamilial taxon Vespertilioninae as the tribe Nyctophilini, known as the big-eared bats of Australia and New Guinea.
Its fur is dark brown; its ears and flight membranes are brown as well. [3] It is similar in appearance to the small-toothed long-eared bat, Nyctophilus microdon, with which it is sometimes confused. It can be differentiated from Nyctophilus species by looking at the skin between the nostrils—in the New Guinea big-eared bat, this skin is hairless, while it has fine hairs in Nyctophilus. Its forearm length is approximately 39.6 mm (1.56 in). Its ears and tragi are both long, at 24 mm (0.94 in) and 15 mm (0.59 in), respectively. Its head and body length is 50.1 mm (1.97 in). Individuals weigh roughly 7.7 g (0.27 oz). [5]
Little is known about this species, as it is rarely encountered. Based on its large ears, however, it is hypothesized that it might hunt for insect prey using low-intensity echolocation. It possibly captures prey by gleaning, which means plucking them off of a surface rather than aerial pursuit. [5]
The individual captured in 2012 was in a logged lowland rainforest of the Abau District of Papua New Guinea. Its habitat preference is unknown, but possibly includes lowland sclerophyll woodlands or woodlands with patches of rainforest. [5]
In 2020, the IUCN classified this species as critically endangered. The species had not been definitively encountered since 1890. [1] In 2012, researchers rediscovered the species when they captured an adult female, though at first they were unsure which species they had found. [2] [5] Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent extinction. [6] In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation. [7]
Bulmer's fruit bat is a megabat endemic to New Guinea. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and hunting. It is the only member of the genus Aproteles. Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent extinction.
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 long-eared bat, species Nyctophilus bifax, is a small flying mammal, a vespertilionid bat. It is found in eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
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 New Guinea long-eared bat is a small species of bat. It is found only in Papua New Guinea.
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 southern forest bat is a vesper bat found in Australia.
Lamotte's roundleaf bat is a species of bat found only at Mount Nimba on the border of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Liberia. It is critically endangered.
The Bougainville monkey-faced bat or Bougainville flying monkey is a megabat endemic to Bougainville Island of Papua New Guinea and Choiseul Island of the Solomon Islands in Melanesia. It inhabits mature forests in upland areas, within the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and Bougouriba Province.
The montane monkey-faced bat or montane flying monkey is a megabat endemic to the Solomon Islands. It is listed as a critically endangered species. Due to its imperilled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent extinction. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation. Only one individual has ever been found.
The Vespertilioninae are a subfamily of vesper bats from the family Vespertilionidae.
The greater monkey-faced bat or greater flying monkey is a megabat endemic to Solomon Islands, Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea, and nearby small islands. It is listed as a critically endangered species and the population is decreasing. It is the largest monkey-faced bat.
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.
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.