''Micronomus norfolkensis'' is a species of

molossid The Molossidae, or free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the order Chiroptera. The Molossidae is the fourth-largest family of bats, containing about 110 species as of 2012. They are generally quite robust, and consist of many strong-flyi ...

bat, a family of flying mammals. The bat is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where it occurs from southeastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

to eastern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. They are the sole species of genus ''Micronomus'' and referred to by variations on east-coast free-tailed bat.

Taxonomy

The 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 1839. The specific epithet is named for

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

, where the type specimen was alleged to have been collected. ''Micronomus norfolkensis'' is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of genus ''Micronomus'', and the only currently recognised. The name of the taxon was published in a checklist by

Tom Iredale Tom Iredale (24 March 1880 – 12 April 1972) was an English-born ornithologist and malacologist who had a long association with Australia, where he lived for most of his life. He was an Autodidacticism, autodidact who never went to university ...

and

Ellis Troughton Ellis Le Geyt Troughton (born in Sydney on 29 April 1893; died 30 November 1974) was an Australian zoologist and mammalogist. Biography Ellis Troughton began to exercise his interest in mammals at fourteen years of age, taking a role at the Au ...

in 1934, but this lacked a diagnosis and designated ''

nomen nudum In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate descr ...

''. Troughton gave the name again, with a valid description, in ''

Furred Animals of Australia ''Furred Animals of Australia'' is a general reference book, first published in 1931, that gives accounts of Australian mammals, the continent's often unique marsupial and placental mammal fauna. The text and research for the book was undertaken b ...

'' in 1944. The print date of Troughton's book is 1943, but his correspondence with the publisher has determined it was not issued until 1944. The taxon was published with a revised diagnosis in 2014, which separated this subgenus and ''

Setirostris ''Setirostris eleryi'' is a species of small insectivorous bat found in inland eastern Australia. It is the sole species of the molossid genus ''Setirostris'', a name that refers to the coarse bristles on their faces. Earlier common names have r ...

'', also with a sole species (''

Mormopterus eleryi ''Setirostris eleryi'' is a species of small insectivorous bat found in inland eastern Australia. It is the sole species of the molossid genus ''Setirostris'', a name that refers to the coarse bristles on their faces. Earlier common names have r ...

''), from the diversity discovered in Australian

s. This revision assigned the taxon to a subgenus, giving the combination ''Mormopterus'' (''Micronomus'') ''norfolkensis'', before the elevation to a monotypic arrangement as genus ''Micronomus''. The species is also referred to as the east-coast free-tailed bat, east-coast freetail bat, and eastern coastal free-tailed bat. Other common names include eastern little mastiff bat and eastern freetail-bat.Eastern Freetail-bat Profile.
Threatened Species. Office of Environment and Heritage. NSW Government. Downloaded on 25 March 2015. The description for ''Micronomus'' was reviewed in an evaluation of the taxonomic concepts (Reardon, 2014), following a description published in 2008 by the same author. The new diagnosis identified the number of lower incisors of ''Micronomus'' (3) differed from the species allied to ''Mormopterus'' (2) and lacked the pronounced gular sac that is present in ''Mormopterus''. The new subgenus, later elevated to genus, ''

'', was distinguished by the form of the corresponding upper molars, the lack of the course bristles on the face of ''Setirostris'', and the great difference in morphology of the glans penis;

phylogenic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

support was provided by molecular comparisons of

allele An allele (, ; ; modern formation from Greek ἄλλος ''állos'', "other") is a variation of the same sequence of nucleotides at the same place on a long DNA molecule, as described in leading textbooks on genetics and evolution. ::"The chro ...

s and

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

. A similar diagnosis is provided to separate ''

Ozimops ''Ozimops'' is a genus of molossid bats found in Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Description ''Ozimops'' are small and stout microbats, with forearm measurement ranging from 29 to 41 millimetres and weigh from 6 to 18 grams. The ea ...

'', dentition, penis morphology, and the phylogenetic analysis, but notes the more evidently dome shape profile of the skull, which is significantly flattened in species of that genus.

Description

This bat has dark brown to reddish brown

fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

with a paler belly.

Biology and ecology

The species has been collected only occasionally, and little is known about its biology and ecology. Although the species may roost communally, it is usually solitary.

Range and habitat

It has been observed in dry eucalypt forest, wet

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaf, leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is paral ...

forest, and riparian

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

habitat. A colony was found roosting in a house. Females with young have been observed in

grey mangrove Grey mangrove may refer to either of two species of mangrove: * ''Avicennia marina'' - occurring around the Indian Ocean and into the western Pacific Ocean as far as New Zealand * ''Conocarpus erectus ''Conocarpus erectus'', commonly called butto ...

(''Avicennia marina'') forests.McConville, A., Law, B. S., & Mahony, M. J. (2013)
Mangroves as maternity roosts for a colony of the rare east-coast free-tailed bat (''Mormopterus norfolkensis'') in south-eastern Australia.
''Wildlife Research'' 40(4), 318-27.

Conservation

It is thought that there are between 10–11,000 mature individuals. Threats to the species may include habitat loss from timber harvesting, coastal development, and alterations of natural fire regimes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1829472, from2=Q61625209, from3=Q61624998 Molossidae Bats of Australia Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Queensland Bat genera