The northern broad-nosed bat (''Scotorepens sanborni'') is a species of the
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 ...
family of microbats. It can be found in northern
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 ...
,
Timor-Leste
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
, and
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
The species was first described by
Ellis Le Geyt 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 1937, allying to a genus ''Scoteinus''.
The taxon was assigned to the rank of subspecies, as ''Scotorepens balstoni sanborni'', but recognised as a species following a revision by
Darrell Kitchener
Darrell John Kitchener (born 1943) is a biologist who has been active in mammalian research in Western Australia and Indonesia. He is the author of over one hundred papers, published while employed as the senior research biologist at the Western ...
. The type locality in the Milne Bay region of Papua New Guinea.
The author nominated the specific epithet ''sanborni'' in recognition of the works of
Colin C. Sanborn, a curator at the
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
and appreciation for his accommodation in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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while researching the mammals of Oceania.
The two populations found in Australia are reported to be genetically distinguishable.
Description
A species of ''
Scotorepens'', closely resembling the widespread 'inland' or 'western' species ''
S. balstoni'' excepting its slightly larger size. The muzzle is hairless and has prominent glands that are characteristic of the genus. The pelage colour is variable among individuals, the hair over the upper-parts is a uniform sandy to tawny olive and darker than the bi-coloured ventral fur, which is a pale greyish brown with whitish tips.
The measurements of the geographical separated Australian populations are distinguished as those from the northwest and another from Queensland, as with ''S. balstoni'' the size of individuals becomes greater in the east and north of the range. The size and weight range of the Kimberley and Top End group is 28 to 34 millimetres for the forearm, an average of 31 mm; head and body combined is 37 to 48 mm; tail length is 27–36 mm; ear length is an average of 10 mm, ranging from 9–12 mmm; the average weight of the range 5.7 to 7.3 grams is 6.5 g. Those in Queensland are somewhat larger, a forearm length averaging 33 mm, for a range of 31–36 mm; head and body is 40–52 mm; tail ranges in length from 29 to 39 mm, ear length from 10 to 13 mm. The weight range of the eastern populous is 5.7 to 9.1 grams, an average of 7.3 g.
Distribution and habitat
A widely distributed species whose range extends across Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and the northern coast of Australia.
There are two geographically separated populations in the northern parts of Australia. One is located from the western
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 ...
to the
Kimberley region in the northwest of the continent, occurring in coastal and sub-coastal wooded regions of mangrove forest and near waterways. Another population is located north of
Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...
, inland from the coast to the
Cape York peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...
, occurring at heathlands, open woodland and monsoonal forest.
Behaviour
The daytimes roosts are usually sited 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, although buildings have also be used. They are often observed foraging for smaller flying insects such as midges and mosquitoes over open water. The species reproduces during September to November.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1833480
Scotorepens
Taxa named by Ellis Le Geyt Troughton
Mammals described in 1937
Bats of Oceania
Mammals of Papua New Guinea
Mammals of Western New Guinea
Mammals of Queensland
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Bats of New Guinea