Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat

Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Emballonuridae
Genus: Saccolaimus
Species:
S. flaviventris
Binomial name
Saccolaimus flaviventris
Peters, 1867[2]
Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat range

The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat[3] (Saccolaimus flaviventris), also known as the yellow-bellied sheathtail or yellow-bellied pouched bat, is a microbat species of the family Emballonuridae found extensively in Australia and less commonly in parts of Papua New Guinea.[4][5]

Although found throughout most parts of Australia, very little is known about its ecology due to the small size, nocturnal activity, and general elusiveness of most microbat species, making them difficult to study.[6][7][8] They are sometimes mistaken for the endangered and less widely distributed bare-rumped sheathtail bat where the two species occur sympatrically, as well as other similar Emballonuridae species, but upon inspection are quite distinct and easily identified.[6][9][10]

At present, the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is the only member of the Microchiroptera that has been positively identified as a carrier of Australian bat lyssavirus.[11]

  1. ^ Armstrong, K.N.; Lumsden, L.F. (2021) [amended version of 2017 assessment]. "Saccolaimus flaviventris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T19799A209538418. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T19799A209538418.en. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  2. ^ Peters, W. (1867). "On Taphozous flaviventris, Gould, a new Species of Bat from Australia". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1866: 417–556. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1866.tb00426.x.
  3. ^ Van Dyke, S. and Strahan, R. (eds.) (2008) The Mammals of Australia, 3rd Edition, New Holland / Queensland Museum, Brisbane ISBN 978-1-877069-25-3
  4. ^ Flannery, T. F. 1995. The Mammals of New Guinea, 2nd edition. Reed Books, Sydney, Australia.
  5. ^ Churchill, Sue. 2008. Australian bats, 2nd ed. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.
  6. ^ a b Rhodes, M. P., and Hall, L. S. 1997. Observations on Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats Saccoliamus flaviventris (Peters, 1867)(Chiroptera: Emballonuridae). Australian Zoologist 30:351-357.
  7. ^ Reardon, T. B., and Flavel, S. C. 1987. A guide to the bats of South Australia. South Australian Museum.
  8. ^ Richards, G. C. 2008. Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat, Saccolaimus flaviventris. In: S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan (eds), The mammals of Australia. Third Edition, pp. 472-473. Reed New Holland, Sydney, Australia.
  9. ^ Schulz, M. and Thomson, B. 2007. National recovery plan for the bare-rumped sheathtail bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus nudicluniatus . Report to Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Canberra. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Brisbane.
  10. ^ Milne, D. J., Jackling, F. C., Sidhu, M., and Appleto B. R. 2009. Shedding new light on old species identifications: morphological and genetic evidence suggest a need for conservation status review of the critically endangered bat, Saccolaimus saccolaimus. Wildlife research 36:496-508.
  11. ^ Barrett, J. L. 2004. Australian Bat Lyssavirus. PhD Thesis, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland.