Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat
Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Emballonuridae |
Genus: | Saccolaimus |
Species: | S. flaviventris
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Binomial name | |
Saccolaimus flaviventris | |
Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat range |
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat[3] (Saccolaimus flaviventris), also known as the yellow-bellied sheathtail or yellow-bellied pouched bat, is a microbat species of the family Emballonuridae found extensively in Australia and less commonly in parts of Papua New Guinea.[4][5]
Although found throughout most parts of Australia, very little is known about its ecology due to the small size, nocturnal activity, and general elusiveness of most microbat species, making them difficult to study.[6][7][8] They are sometimes mistaken for the endangered and less widely distributed bare-rumped sheathtail bat where the two species occur sympatrically, as well as other similar Emballonuridae species, but upon inspection are quite distinct and easily identified.[6][9][10]
At present, the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is the only member of the Microchiroptera that has been positively identified as a carrier of Australian bat lyssavirus.[11]
Taxonomy
The first description of the species was provided by
Description
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is quite large with a mean body weight of 44 g that ranges from 28 to 60 g, and a mean head-body length of 81.8 mm that ranges from 72.3-91.9 mm.[5][8] It has distinct fur colouration, with the dorsal back being a shiny jet black and the ventral underside a contrasting creamy white.[5][6] Males of the species have a distinctive gular throat pouch that is believed to play a role in territorial marking.[6][14][15] The throat pouch is absent in females, which instead have naked folds of skin around their throats.[14] Unlike many other sheathtails, this species does not have a wing pouch in either sex.[5]
Other distinguishing features of the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat are a flattened head and sharply pointed muzzle,[16] a mean forearm length of 74–77 mm,[5][6] and a mean outer canine width of 6.4 mm.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat appears to be wide-ranging, occurring across most parts of eastern and northern Australia,
This species occupies most wooded habitats, including both wet and dry
Ecology
Roosting habits
Few studies have been carried out to determine the specific roosting habits of this species.[6] Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats are a cavity-roosting species and are generally reliant on old-growth forest hollows.[21] However, they have been known to opportunistically use abandoned animal burrows and human structures, and roost under dry clay and rock, though generally only solitary bats have been observed to do this.[5][16]
Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats are mostly solitary, occasionally nesting in small, mixed-sex colonies of two to 10 individuals.[5][8] A notable exception to this observation is the Brightview colony, found in southeast Queensland in 1996. The colony was discovered by accident during the felling of an old tree, and consisted of 29 individuals – the largest colony of yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats recorded.[6]
Seasonality
Though no confirmatory studies have been carried out, yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats may be migratory based on local records that show the species occurring only at specific times of year.[7][8] Though specific seasonal movements are unknown, observations have suggested migratory movements to the cooler southern Australian ranges during the summer.[5][16] The possibility of seasonal migration is supported by studies of long, narrow wing shape in the species that appears suited to migration[6] and the seasonal appearance of apparently exhausted bats in Victoria and South Australia.[5][6]
Diet and foraging
Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats are
Reproduction
Breeding receptivity in the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat begins in August when the right
Flight
Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats have a distinctive flight behaviour characterised by a fast, straight-line flight path with slow wing beats.[7] This distinctive flight pattern combined with the light-coloured fur of the ventral underside make the species easy to identify in flight.[6] The long, narrow wing shape and large body mass of the species allow for rapid flight with low maneuverability, making it best suited to canopy level and open-space flight.[6][7]
Physiology
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is a
Behaviour and communication
Like all microbats, the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat communicates using
Conservation
Though infrequently encountered, the conservation status of the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is categorised as of least concern, because the species is both widespread and versatile in its habitat selection, thus is considered unlikely to decline rapidly.
The main threats to conservation of the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat are habitat loss, particularly of old-growth trees, disturbance to roosting sites, and prey depletion or secondary poisoning as a result of pesticides and herbicides.[16][17]
References
- . Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ .
- ISBN 978-1-877069-25-3
- ^ a b Flannery, T. F. 1995. The Mammals of New Guinea, 2nd edition. Reed Books, Sydney, Australia.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Churchill, Sue. 2008. Australian bats, 2nd ed. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Rhodes, M. P., and Hall, L. S. 1997. Observations on Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats Saccoliamus flaviventris (Peters, 1867)(Chiroptera: Emballonuridae). Australian Zoologist 30:351-357.
- ^ a b c d e f Reardon, T. B., and Flavel, S. C. 1987. A guide to the bats of South Australia. South Australian Museum.
- ^ a b c d e f Richards, G. C. 2008. Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat, Saccolaimus flaviventris. In: S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan (eds), The mammals of Australia. Third Edition, pp. 472-473. Reed New Holland, Sydney, Australia.
- ^ Schulz, M. and Thomson, B. 2007. National recovery plan for the bare-rumped sheathtail bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus nudicluniatus . Report to Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Canberra. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Brisbane.
- ^ Milne, D. J., Jackling, F. C., Sidhu, M., and Appleto B. R. 2009. Shedding new light on old species identifications: morphological and genetic evidence suggest a need for conservation status review of the critically endangered bat, Saccolaimus saccolaimus. Wildlife research 36:496-508.
- ^ Barrett, J. L. 2004. Australian Bat Lyssavirus. PhD Thesis, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland.
- .
- ^ Troughton, E. Le G. 1925. A revision of the genera Taphozous and Saccolaimus (Chiroptera) in Australia and New Guinea, including a new species, and a note on two Malayan forms. Records of the Australian Museum 14:313-341
- ^ a b c d Chimimba, C.T. and Kitchener, D.J. 1987. Breeding in the Australian yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat, Saccolaimus flaviventris (Peters, 1867) (Chiroptera Emballonuridae). Records – Western Australian Museum 13:241-248.
- ^ Hall, L. S. and Gordon. G. 1982. The throat-pouch of the yellow-bellied bat, Taphozous flaviventris. Mammalia 46:247-252
- ^ a b c d e f g Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat – profile, Office of Environment and Heritage, accessed 7 October 2014
- ^ a b Dickman, C. R., Pressey, R. L., Lim, L., and Parnaby, H. E. 1993. Mammals of particular conservation concern in the Western Division of New South Wales. Biological Conservation 65:219-248.
- ^ a b Lumsden, I. F. and Bennet, A. F. 1995. Bats of a semi-arid environment in south-eastern Australia: biogeography, ecology and conservation. Wildlife Research 22:217-239.
- ^ a b Pennay, M. n.d. Ecological study of the endangered bristle-nosed bat (Mormopterus ‘species 6’) and survey of Microchiropteran bats in Gundabooka National Park - Report for NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service Upper Darling Region. NSW Department of Environment & Conservation.
- ^ a b Young, R. A. and Ford, G. I. 2000. Bat fauna of a semi-arid environment in central western Queensland, Australia. Wildlife Research 27:203-215.
- ^ a b Hall, L. S. and Richards, G. C. 1979. Bats of eastern Australia. Queensland Museum, Brisbane.
- ^ Vestjens, W. J. M. and Hall, L. S. 1977. Stomach contents of forty-two species of bats from the Australasian region. Wildlife Research 4:25-35.
- ^ Coles, R. B. and Lumsden, L. 1993. Report on the survey of bats in the Heathlands area of Cape York Peninsula. Cape York Peninsula Scientific Expedition Wet Season 1992 Report 2:247-259.
- S2CID 11344266.
- ^ McKenzie, N. and Pennay, M. 2008. Saccolaimus flaviventris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 12 October 2014.
- ^ Atlas of Living Australia Accessed 7 October 2014.
- ^ Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria. 2013, The State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment, accessed 7 October 2014
Further reading
- Barrett, Janine L. (2004) "Australian Bat Lyssavirus." PhD thesis, The University of Queensland. Australian Bat Lyssavirus - DAFF eResearch Archive (eRA)