Lord Howe big-eared bat
| Lord Howe big-eared bat | ||||||||||||
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| Nyctophilus howensis | ||||||||||||
| McKean , 1975 |
The Lord Howe big- eared bat ( Nyctophilus howensis ) is a most likely extinct species of bat from the genus of the Australian long-eared bat ( Nyctophilus ) in the smooth-nosed family (Vespertilionidae). The species was endemic to Lord Howe Island and is only known from an incomplete subfossil skull and possibly from a travelogue from 1889.
features
The skull was unearthed in 1972 by paleontologist Gerard Frederick van Tets in a ledge of a small crater in the Gooseberry Cave in North Head, Lord Howe Island, in a palm forest. The skull length is 23.2 mm, the estimated head-trunk length is approximately 80 mm and the estimated forearm length is approximately 50 mm. An age determination of the skull by the chemistry department of the University of Queensland suggests an age between 50 and 100 years.
status
In addition to the found skull, a travelogue from 1889 could possibly refer to this species. English paleontologist Robert Etheridge, Jr. (1846–1920) noted in his notes:
"The only indigenous lower mammals existing on Lord Howe are bats, but even these are not plentiful. A single specimen of Scotophilus morio , similar to those obtained by Morton was shot by Mr. Unwin, and a larger species was occasionally seen. "
“The only endemic smaller mammals that exist on Lord Howe Island are bats, but even they are not common. A single specimen of Scotophilus morio , similar to those that Morton received, was shot by Mr. Unwin, and a larger species was occasionally seen. "
The Lord Howe big-eared bat probably died out after 1918, when the Lord Howe Island was overrun by rats after the Makambo beached and several endemic animal species (including five species of birds) were exterminated within a short time. No specimen of the Lord Howe big-eared bat could be found in later search expeditions.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Duncan, A., Baker, GB and Montgomery, N. 1999. The Action Plan for Australian Bats. Environment Australia, Canberra, Australia.
- ^ Robert Etheridge: The general zoology of Lord Howe Island; containing also an account of the collections made by the Australian Museum Collecting Party, Aug. – Sept., 1887. In: Australian Museum Memoir. 2, No. 1, 1889, pp. 1-42 doi : 10.3853 / j.0067-1967.2.1889.479
literature
- Ronald Strahan (Ed.): The Mammals of Australia. Revised edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington 1995, ISBN 1-56098-673-5 , pp. 506-507.
- Andrew Burbidge , John Woinarski , Peter Harrison: The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012 Csiro Publishing, 2014, ISBN 978-064-310-873-8 .
Web links
- Nyctophilus howensis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.1. Posted by: Hall, L., Lumsden, L. & Parnaby, H., 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
- Australian endangered species: Lord Howe Long-eared Bat
- The Action Plan for Australian Bats - Recovery outline: Lord Howe Long-eared Bat