Gould's wattled bat (''Chalinolobus gouldii'') is a species of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n wattled bat named after the English

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould (illustrator), Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, includ ...

.Chruszcz, Bryan & Barclay, M. R. (2002)
''Mammalian Species'' Chalinolobus gouldii
The American Society of Mammalogists. (pdf)

Description

''C. gouldii'' is the largest of the genus ''Chalinolobus'', a group distinguished by fleshy lobes located at the corners of its mouth. For individuals throughout their range, the average length (head and body) is 70 ± 5 mm and average mass is 14 ± 4 g. The fur on the back is dark brown, becoming black on the head and shoulders.

Distribution and habitat

''C. gouldii'' is known throughout mainland Australia (excluding northern Cape York Peninsula and Nullarbor Plain) as well as

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, and

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

. ''C. gouldii'' is found in a variety of habitats. In wooded areas, they are mostly arboreal, though they have also been found in the stumps and hollow limbs of trees or in bird nests. They may also inhabit urban settings, such as the ceilings and basements of buildings. While some individuals (usually males) may roost alone, colonies often hold about 30 bats. Colonies of up to 200 individuals are also known.

Behaviour

''C. gouldii'' is active year-round across most of its range, but enters

hibernation Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is mos ...

in cooler climates. This torpor typically takes place throughout winter (May to early September) but has been observed as late as December. ''C. gouldii'' is the most common species found roosting in bat boxes installed at the Organ Pipes National Park in Melbourne, Victoria, accounting for 97% of species found. They are harp-trapped within the Organ Pipes National Park but the proportions vary from year to year. They also account for 95% of bats found in roost boxes in Wilson Reserve, Ivanhoe East, Melbourne, and 100% of bats found 1.5 km further east in Kew

Diet

''C. gouldii'' is insectivorous; in much of its range,

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s are the most common food item, though

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s play this role in the riparian woodlands of Tasmania. Other known prey includes

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are insects belonging to the Order (biology), order Blattodea (Blattaria). About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known Pest (organism), pests. Modern cockro ...

es,

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

, stoneflies,

orthoptera Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – gras ...

ns,

hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from ...

ns,

hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

ns and other lepidopterans, including

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s. Grass seeds and twig fragments are occasionally ingested as well.

Reproduction

The reproductive behaviour of ''C. gouldii'', including the months of gestation, vary among different regions. In Victoria, pregnancy usually occurs during September and October, lactation during November and December, and fledged young during December and January. In Western Australia, the birthing period (6–8 weeks) begins from late September to November depending on the latitude of the population involved. Females can store fertile sperm for at least 33 days, allowing them to conceive long after mating. Because pregnancy occurs in both uterine horns, the resulting offspring are often twins.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q136051 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Mammals described in 1841 Bats of Australia Mammals of Tasmania Mammals of Western Australia Chalinolobus Mammals of the Northern Territory Mammals of South Australia Mammals of Queensland Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Victoria (state)