The chocolate wattled bat, species ''Chalinolobus morio'', is a bat in the family

Vespertilionidae Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat famili ...

. It is found only in Australia, including the island

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, and widespread in southern regions. It is known to reside from sea level to at least in Victoria.

Taxonomy

A description of the species was published by

John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for ...

in 1841, assigning it to the genus '' Scotophilus''. There are three synonyms for the species: ''Chalinolobus australis'', ''Chalinolobus microdon'', and ''Chalinolobus signifer''. Taxonomic research on the isolated populations is lacking. The name of the genus is derived from ancient Greek: ''chalinos'', meaning 'bridle', and ''lobos'', lobe. The specific epithet is also from the greek name

Moros In Greek mythology, Moros /ˈmɔːrɒs/ or Morus /ˈmɔːrəs/ (Ancient Greek: Μόρος means 'doom, fate') is the 'hateful' personified spirit of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate. It was also said that Moros gave peop ...

, the "son of night". The term 'wattled' refers to a characteristic of its related species, a conspicuous lobe at the head.

Description

A vespertilionid, with a rich and nearly uniform brown colour that resembles milk chocolate. The colour is often lighter at the front of the bat in the isolated populations in the west and centre. The weight range is 8 to 11 grams, the measurement of the forearm is 35 to 42 millimetres. The ' wattle', present in other ''Chalinolobus'' species, is a flap of skin that extends from the base of the ear to the mouth; this is comparatively small. The ears of ''Chalinolobus morio'' are also smaller than its near relations, short and rounded in form. They are fast and agile, able to twist in flight while pursuing small moths and other prey. A comparative analysis of flight in Australian bats reported this highly energetic species, along with ''

Chalinolobus gouldii Gould's wattled bat (''Chalinolobus gouldii'') is a species of Australian wattled bat named after the English naturalist John Gould.Chruszcz, Bryan & Barclay, M. R. (2002)''Mammalian Species'' Chalinolobus gouldii The American Society of Mamm ...

'' and southern forest '' Vespadelus regulus'', as having the greatest manoeuvrability.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found from rainforests to treeless plains and inhabits a wide variety of other environments, roosting in tree hollows, caves, and buildings. The colonies that they form may have anywhere from ten to more than one thousand members, and females usually give birth to a single young. An insectivorous bat whose prey is obtained in flight, typically beneath the

tree canopy In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns an ...

, consists almost of moths. The distribution range is southern areas of the Australian continent, with two remote populations located in a central region and in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

. Some groups also show a preference to roost in either trees or caves. Areas inhabited by the ''Chalinolobus morio'' include expansive caves on the

Nullarbor Plain The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of , 'no', and , 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its ...

, where they occur in large numbers, in other areas they occupy

tree hollow A tree hollow or tree hole is a semi-enclosed cavity which has naturally formed in the trunk or branch of a tree. They are found mainly in old trees, whether living or not. Hollows form in many species of trees, and are a prominent feature of nat ...

The species is often found in the country's southern urban environments. They are one of several locally common bats within the city of Canberra, noted for its seasonal feast of

bogong moth The bogong moth (''Agrotis infusa'') is a temperate species of night-flying moth, notable for its biannual long-distance seasonal migrations towards and from the Australian Alps, similar to the diurnal monarch butterfly. During the autumn an ...

s that are drawn toward the parliament building. ''C. morio'' is also found in Tasmania and in its capital Hobart, one of the small number of species to occur in the state. In Tasmania, they roost in the hollows of large eucalypts and other trees as caves are unsuitable for bats in the colder climate; it is assumed they also occupy the many old buildings. They are the first bats to rouse after hibernation and can feed without competition from other species for several weeks. The city of Adelaide, South Australia contains extensive parkland that this bat, with around a dozen other species, use for foraging and roosts; they are often observed hunting with other bats around street lights. In

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, the bat is found adjacent to the city centre at Kings Park, they are also found at the cave systems to the south in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. ''Chalinolobus morio'' abide in caves, sometimes buildings, but more commonly in tree hollows; the old-growth forest that provides suitable hollows for the species is greatly reduced in the southwest region. In the pilbara region, ''Chalinolobus morio'' is one of three geographically isolated bat populations, the other two being the orange leaf-nosed '' Rhinonicteris aurantia'' and ghost bat '' Macroderma gigas''. The bat forages at

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

habitat in this region. ''Chalinolobus morio'' is one of several bats that adopt the nests of the fairy martin, ''

Petrochelidon ariel The fairy martin (''Petrochelidon ariel'') is a member of the swallow family of passerine birds which breeds in Australia. It is migratory wintering through most of Australia, with some birds reaching New Guinea and Indonesia. It is increasingl ...

'', when the bird vacates after the breeding season. The nest is spout-shaped and constructed with mud, often occurring in a secluded section beneath concrete bridges. The species is also inhabits roof cavities.

Conservation

The species is listed as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

, there are no apparent threats and it occurs in multiple protected areas. The bats are vulnerable to changes in land use, loss of habitat resulting from forestry or pastoralist activities, and clearing for agriculture and urbanisation. The regional assessment in Queensland and Northern Territory is 'not threatened'.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q305052 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Bats of Australia Chalinolobus Mammals of Tasmania Mammals of Western Australia Mammals of South Australia Mammals of the Northern Territory Mammals of Queensland Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Victoria (Australia) Mammals described in 1841 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot