| Pygmy long-eared bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Nyctophilus |
| Species: | N. walkeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Nyctophilus walkeri | |
 | |
The pygmy long-eared bat (Nyctophilus walkeri) 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.
Nyctophilus walkeri is a species of genus Nyctophilus , long-eared microbats allied to the common and diverse bat family Vespertilionidae. [3] The description was published by Oldfield Thomas in 1892, [4] [5] and continued to be widely recognised by subsequent authorities. The type specimen was collected at the Adelaide River in the Northern Territory. [6] The collector of the specimen was noted by the author, marine engineer and entomologist James John Walker, and the epithet walkeri proposed to commemorate his extensive field collections. [2] [7] The description of Thomas nominated this as the third species of the genus, comparing it to his earlier description for Nyctophilus microtis , published in 1888. [8] The type for the genus, once regarded as monotypic, was Nyctophilus timoriensis , named as the Australian long-eared bat. [2]
Other names for the species include Territory long-eared bat and little Northern Territory bat. [9]
The smallest of the genus, they weigh 3 to 7 grams (0.11 to 0.25 oz) and have a tibia that is 30 to 36 millimetres (1.2 to 1.4 in). [5] The measurement of the head and body of the type, an adult female preserved in alcohol, is around 45 millimetres (1.8 in) in length. [2] The light colour of the fur is fawn at the back and creamy at the ventral side. The wings are brown, the much darker shade of the membrane is intersected with paler skin over the bats arm and finger bones. [5]
They are found in the north of Western Australia in the Kimberley region and across the Top End of the continent. [5] They are common at the Drysdale River National Park and the Mitchell River National Park (Western Australia) (Mitchell Plateau). [10] They are also recorded in the eastern state of Queensland at Lawn Hill Gorge in the Boodjamulla National Park, [1] noisily occupying the Livingstonia palms while roosting. [10]
The habitat is rocky outcrops close to open or flowing water or in dense associated vegetation of Pandanus , Melaleuca , and Livistona woodlands or forest. [1] [10]
One of four species of Nyctophilus found in its range, and along with the mangrove dwelling Pipistrellus westralis and northern cave Vespadelus caurinus bat species, amongst the smallest mammals in Australia. [5]
Little is known of the habits of the pygmy long-eared bat, it is recorded in association with permanent water at the nearby riparian vegetation. [11] The species has the ability for slow and manoeuvrable flight, which gives a fluttering appearance while foraging over water or in densely vegetated environs. [10] The diet is beetles, wasps and bugs. Pastoral and agricultural activities threaten the habitat of the species, changes in land use that reduce refuge and foraging opportunities by degradation of the vegetation. [11] It is classified as least concern in Queensland and the Northern Territory state conservation listings. [9] [3]
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.
Nabarleks, are a tiny species of macropod found in northern Australia. They are a shy and nocturnal animal that resides in rocky hollows and forages in the surrounding area. Their diet is grasses, sedges, and ferns found in and around their scrub covered refuges. They are distinguished by a reddish tinge to the mostly grey fur and a distinct stripe at the cheek. They move with great speed and agility when observed, with a forward leaning posture and a bushy tail that arches over the back.
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.
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 New Guinea long-eared bat is a small species of bat. It is 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 northern cave bat is a vesper bat that occurs throughout most of Australia.
The southern forest bat is a vesper bat found in Australia.
The northern leaf-nosed bat is a micro-bat of the family Hipposideridae, known as "leaf-nosed" bats. The species is endemic to northern regions of Australia. They are highly manoeuvrable in flight, and use echolocation to forage for insect prey.
James John Walker was an English entomologist.
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.
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 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.
A mammal is named after him
