''Nyctophilus daedalus'' is a species of 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 ...

, a flying mammal endemic to northern Australia. They are also referred to as the pallid long-eared bat or northern long-eared bat.

Taxonomy

High levels of morphological variation within the species indicates that it is a composite of a number of distinct forms. The description for this species was published by Oldfield Thomas in 1915. The taxon emerged from the author's reëxamination of the genus ''Nyctophilus'', seen as allied to his description of a new genus '' Pharotis''. The taxon was recognised as a species 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 autodidact who never went to university and lacked forma ...

and Troughton, but later authors assigned it as a synonym or subspecies of '' Nyctophilus bifax'' or '' Nyctophilus gouldi''. The author's type specimen was collected at Daly River in the Northern Territory. This type, a male, was provided to the author by the Christiania Museum (

Oslo Museum Oslo Museum ( no, Oslo museum) is a museum dedicated to the history and culture of Oslo, Norway. The museum is headquartered at Frogner Manor in Frogner Park, together with two of its departments; Oslo City Museum and Theatre Museum. History ...

), and notes the collection by

Knut Dahl image:KnutDahl.jpg, Knut Dahl Knut Dahl (28 October 1871 – 11 June 1951) was a Norway, Norwegian zoology, zoologist and explorer who made important bird collections in northern Australia. Early years Dahl grew up at Hakadal in Akershus, Norway, ...

in July 1894. Two other specimens were examined, Thomas reporting their locations as Melville Island and Port Essington. The common name northern long-eared bat also refers to another species of the 'long-eared bats', ''

Nyctophilus arnhemensis ''Nyctophilus arnhemensis'', known as the northern or Arnhem long-eared bat, is a species of Chiroptera (bats) native to northern regions of Australia. The distribution range is from north-western Queensland to northern Western Australia. Taxo ...

''.

Description

Similar in habit and appearance to the species '' Nyctophilus bifax'', to which it was earlier placed as a subspecies, but distinguished for a preference to wetter forest environments. They are recorded using perches when seeking prey. As with ''N. bifax'', the superficial appearance is brown fur at the back, ranging in colour from light to dark, and notably paler fur on their bellies. There are minor fleshy protuberances behind the nostrils, and little of the ridge feature of the nostrils found in other nyctophilus species. The forearm (tibia) measurement is 37 to 46 millimetres in length, and their weight ranges from 7 to 13 grams.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in the

Top End The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. It covers a ra ...

, and at the Kimberley and

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 ...

regions in the north west of the continent. The population in the Pilbara is geographically remote. The wetter forest types associated with the species include

monsoon forest Seasonal tropical forest, also known as moist deciduous, semi-evergreen seasonal, tropical mixed or monsoon forests, typically contain a range of tree species: only some of which drop some or all of their leaves during the dry season. This tropic ...

and riparian habitat. They select roosts in

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 ...

s and beneath the foliage of trees, especially near the base of pandanus leaves. A population occurs within a park near the territory's capital Darwin, at the Holmes Jungle Nature Park.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16583286 Bats of Australia Nyctophilus Mammals described in 1915 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas