Hill's sheath-tailed bat
Hill's sheath-tailed bat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Emballonuridae |
Genus: | Taphozous |
Species: | T. hilli
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Binomial name | |
Taphozous hilli | |
Hill's tomb bat range |
Hill's sheath-tailed bat (Taphozous hilli) is a bat of the family Emballonuridae. They are found in the deserts of central Australia.
Taxonomy
The description of the species was published by
The type specimen was captured with a
Other common names for the species include Hill's tomb bat,[citation needed] and a variant as Hill's sheathtail bat.[6]
Description
A bat of small size, superficially resembling species
The radial-metacarpal pouch on the wing, a small structure at the wrist, found in some similar species, is present in T. hilli. The male has a
Distribution and habitat
An endemic species of Australia, the distribution range extends from the arid northwest through the central deserts of the Northern Territory and to the northwest corner of South Australia.[6] They occupy fissures at escarpments and cave habitats in arid regions of the centre and west of the continent.[8] The bat has a preference for deeply cleft rock at cliffs near waterholes.[8] As with roosts at mine sites, they are found residing with T. georgianus.[3]
Ecology
Taphozous hilli occurs in the west and centre of the continent in semi-arid regions, it is a specialist in desert environs.
The composition of the diet is poorly known, other than it feeds on insects.
A single young bat is born and reared during the summer and autumn.[3] The male's distinctive neck pouch enlarges in the breeding season, correlating to activity in the glandular and seminal apparatus, and increases in its depth; the purpose of this gular pouch is unknown but assumed to have a social function.[2]
The conservation status in the states of Australia are 'least concern' in Queensland and the Northern Territory, and listed as rare and 'near threatened' in South Australia.[9] Threats are noted as the loss of roost sites and habitat through destruction or dilapidation of the local ecology caused by mining operations and alterations to land use such as pastoralism and agriculture.[3] The species is recorded at listed conservation areas. The IUCN Red List (2008) gives the status of least concern, noting there is no evidence of decline and the population is stable.[1]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ ISSN 0312-3162.
- ^ a b c d e "Hill's Sheathtail Bat, Scientific name: Taphozous hilli". The Australian Museum. 2018-10-12. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Museum specimen id: WAM M 18260
- ^ ISBN 9780195573954.
- Kitchener, D.J. (1991). "A systematic revision of Australian Emballonuridae (Mammalia: Chiroptera)". Records of the Western Australian Museum. 15 (1). Western Australian Museum: 203–265 [235].
- ^ ISBN 9780643103740.
- ^ "Species Taphozous hilli Kitchener, 1980 Hill's Sheathtail-Bat". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government. Retrieved 31 December 2018.