New Zealand long-tailed bat

New Zealand long-tailed bat
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Nationally Critical (NZ TCS)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Vespertilionidae
Genus:	Chalinolobus
Species:	C. tuberculatus
Binomial name
Chalinolobus tuberculatus (Forster, 1844)

The New Zealand long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus), also known as the long-tailed wattled bat and pekapeka tou-roa is one of 15 species of bats in the genus Chalinolobus variously known as "pied bats", "wattled bats" or "long-tailed bats". It is one of the two surviving bat species endemic to New Zealand, but is closely related to five other wattled or lobe-lipped bats in Australia and elsewhere. It won the 2021 Bird of the Year competition in New Zealand, despite not being a bird.^[3]

Description

The long-tailed bat is a small brown bat (weighing 8–12 g) with a long tail connected by a patygium to its hind legs: this feature distinguishes it from New Zealand's other bat species, the short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata). The bat's echolocation calls include a relatively low frequency component that can be heard by some people. It can fly at 60 kilometres per hour, and has a very large home range (100 km²). Life expectancy for this species is unknown, though it exceeds nine years.^[4] This species has a highly variable body temperature and rate of metabolism.^[5] It is the main host of the New Zealand bat flea.

Diet

Long-tailed bats hunt by hawking, or capturing and consuming aerial insects while flying.^[6] Flies are their most significant food source, with moths and beetles also important.^[7] The bat is an insect generalist, consuming insects that are abundant in the landscape.^[7]

Roosting

New Zealand long-tailed bats are selective when choosing roost trees. Preferred roosts are located at low altitude at the bottoms of valleys, less than 500 metres (0.31 mi) from the woodland edge.^[8] The bats prefer tall roosts of large diameter located in areas of lower tree density, particularly live red beech trees or snags.^[8] Three-quarters of roost trees identified in the South Island were at least one hundred years old.^[8] The bats roost in small cavities within the trees that have high temperatures and humidity.^[9]

Reproduction

Males and females are capable of successful reproduction after their first year, and most females first give birth at age two or three.^[4] Mating is thought to occur in February and March, shortly before hibernation, based on the proportion of males with swollen epididymides at this time.^[4] Females give birth to a single pup during the New Zealand summer (December and January) and provide sole care for their young, gathering with other females in maternity roosts of up to 120 individuals; small numbers of adult males and non-reproductive females are present in the roosts as well.^[4] These subcolonies move to new trees almost every day, breaking apart into smaller groups or reforming into larger ones. In some areas limestone caves are also used, but mainly as a night roost between feeding bouts. Pups fledge about 40 days after birth.^[4] Pups are likely weaned within ten days of fledging.^[4]

Conservation

The species first gained legal protection under the New Zealand Wildlife Act 1953.^[10] The New Zealand long-tailed bat has been classified in New Zealand by the Department of Conservation as "Nationally Critical" with the qualifier "Conservation Dependent" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System as a result of a predicted decline of greater than 70%.^[2] The bats' preference for large, old roost trees makes them at risk from habitat destruction through logging.^[11] They may also be at risk from windfarms, unless successfully relocated.^[12]

References

External links

• NZ Department of Conservation Bat Site
• DOC 1995 Threatened Species Recovery Plan (distribution map on page 4)
• Long-tailed bats discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week, 17 November 2017