The small-toothed long-eared bat (''Nyctophilus microdon'') is a species of

vespertilionid 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 ...

bat found only in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

Taxonomy

A species of genus ''

Nyctophilus ''Nyctophilus'' is a genus of the vespertilionids or vesper bats. They are often termed Australian big-eared bats or long-eared bats, as the length of their ears often greatly exceeds that of the head. This genus occurs in the New Guinean-Austr ...

'' (large-eared bats), allied to the common bat 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 familie ...

, the description for which was first published in 1954. The common names include small-toothed long-eared—or small-toothed—bat.

Description

A poorly known species known at only seven locations, at altitudes between 1900 and 2200

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 ...

. Few specimens have been obtained, and the IUCN notes that lack of study on ecology, threats, population and distribution. It is presumed to be vulnerable to habitat clearing. The roost sites are trees and caves, inhabited individually or as small groups. It is presumed to glean insects in

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

Conservation status

In 2008, the species was considered "Data Deficient", but in 2021 it was reassessed as being of "Least Concern", with its high elevation habitats being relatively intact.

References

Nyctophilus Bats of Oceania Endemic fauna of Papua New Guinea Mammals of Papua New Guinea Mammals described in 1954 Taxa named by John Edwards Hill Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Eleanor Mary Ord Laurie {{Vespertilionidae-stub