The large forest bat (''Vespadelus darlingtoni'') is a common

vesper bat 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 familie ...

found in southeast Australia,

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

, and

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

Taxonomy

The first description was published by G. M. Allen in 1933. The specimen described was obtained by Philip Darlington in northern Queensland, another member of a work group for the American Museum of Comparative Zoology, the

Harvard Australian Expedition (1931–1932) The Harvard Australian Expedition of 1931–1932 was a six-man venture sent by then Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) director Thomas Barbour to Australia for the dual purpose of procuring specimens and studying native (living) wildlife i ...

led by William M. Wheeler

Description

The fur over the back and front is a dark shade of rich brown or brownish red, nearly uniform in colour overall, the population in Tasmania may be very dark to black. The hair of this larger species is coarse and long. A triangular shaped feature is seen at the lower point of the mouth. The

patagium The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, birds, some dromaeosaurs ...

across the wings is grey-black. The range of length in the forearm is 32 to 39 millimetres, and they weigh 4 to 10 grams. The species forearm length measures , the head and body combined is long, tail length is . The sampled weight range of gives an average of . A key to a diagnosis for the species is the proportion of the

phalanx bone The phalanges (singular: ''phalanx'' ) are digital bones in the hands and feet of most vertebrates. In primates, the thumbs and big toes have two phalanges while the other digits have three phalanges. The phalanges are classed as long bones. ...

s in the third finger, the ratio of the third to second phalanges is greater than 0.84. The length of the penis is small and it has as an angular bend, the tip is not enlarged. The larger size of the ''Vespadelus darlingtoni'' distinguishes it from others of the genus, the forearm length being greater than , in particular the similar species '' V. pumilus'' (eastern forest bat). The richly coloured chocolate wattled species ''

Chalinolobus morio The chocolate wattled bat, species ''Chalinolobus morio'', is a bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found only in Australia, including the island Tasmania, and widespread in southern regions. It is known to reside from sea level to at leas ...

'' is separable by the absence of that species lobe at the lower lip and raised fur between the eyes. A single birth during November and December is usual for the species.

Distribution and habitat

Found in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia and a volcanic outcrop,

, to the east of Australia. The species is also recorded at

Flinders Flinders may refer to: Places Antarctica * Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Australia New South Wales * Flinders County, New South Wales * Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour * Flinders, New South Wa ...

and

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

. The species occurs at elevations up to 1600

metres asl Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

, the highest record is from New South Wales. They occur at all elevations in the southern regions, but the range to the north is restricted to the cooler environs at higher altitudes. ''Vespadelus darlingtoni'' is common around the eastern headwaters of the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers, favouring woodland and other habitat in the agricultural regions. The habitat is associated with the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

. The species is common and widely distributed, and not known to be declining in population. No threats are known, and the distribution range includes conservation areas that are inhabited by the species. It is found in dry and wet

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', '' Corymbia'', '' Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

forest, rainforest, and at sub-alpine to alpine habitats. ''Vespadelus darlingtoni'' is observed in small reserves of woodland of rural areas and present at the urbanised landscape. They roost in the hollows of trees with up to sixty others of the species. The population at Lord Howe is the only species of bat confirmed to living on the island. Reports of a second larger species also existing there seemed to be confirmed when a new species, ''

Nyctophilus howensis The Lord Howe long-eared bat (''Nyctophilus howensis'') 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 elo ...

'', was described using the skull of a recently deceased individual.

References

Bats of Australia Mammals of Tasmania Vespadelus Mammals of South Australia Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Queensland Mammals of Victoria (Australia) Mammals described in 1933 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Glover Morrill Allen Fauna of Lord Howe Island {{Vespertilionidae-stub