84.

New Caledonian Long-eared Bat

Nyctophilus nebulosus

French: Nyctophile de Nouvelle-Calédonie / German: Neukaledonien-Langohrfledermaus / Spanish: Nictofila de Nueva Caledonia

Taxonomy. Nyctophilus nebulosus Parnaby, 2002,

“Southwestern slopes of Mt Koghis, Nouméa, New Caledonia, 22° 10’ 37"S, 166° 30' 12"E.”

Nyctophilus nebulosus is tentatively in the gouldi group, but additional research is needed to determine its relationships to other species of Nyctophilus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Mt Koghis on S Grande Terre, New Caledonia; an extensive bat survey in 2000-2001 failed to extend known localities of the species.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 52-9-54-9 mm,tail 48-7-50-2 mm, ear 24-5-27-3 mm, forearm 42-4-43-5 mm; weight 9-4-12 g. The New Caledonian Long-eared Bat has very large ears and unique simple noseleaf consisting of two ridges, one further on muzzle and another immediately above nostrils, with vertical groove in middle and furred trough between them. Pelage of males and females differs, with males having dark reddish brown pelage dorsally and ventrally and females having chocolate-brown pelage. Rostrum is short and blunt, with ridge across muzzle over nostrils that is poorly developed, being low with shallow vertical groove. Ears are very large and broad, with bluntly rounded tips, horizontal ribbing on inner surfaces, inward curved anterior edges, and smooth posterior edges (ears can fold back at top of thick part of anterior edge); large and furred interauricular band crosses forehead between ears; tragus is small and bluntly rounded at tip, being convex on anterior margin. Glans penis is similar to that of Gould’s Long-eared Bat ( N. gouldi), but urethral lappets are relatively larger and extend further distally, and medial dorsal groove is more pronounced. Baculum is ¢. 3 mm long, with moderately thin shaft (but thick in terms of Nyctophilus) that constricts right before tip in dorsal view; tip is somewhat arrowhead-shaped, and base is strongly bifurcated; in lateral view, baculum is curved downward at base (where it 1s the thickest), but shaft is straight to narrowed tip. Skull is moderately robust and moderately narrow for the genus; basioccipital pits are moderately deep; tympanic bullae are moderately large; posterior part of palate is elongated; and M® and lower molars are moderately reduced for the genus (less reduced than in Gould’s Long-eared Bat).

Habitat. Holotype and both paratypes were caught in a mist net set across a track in a small clearing in tall closed rainforest at an elevation of 430 m, suggesting the New Caledonian Long-eared Batis found in montane forest habitats.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The New Caledonian Long-eared Bat is nocturnal, and it likely roosts in tree hollows like other long-eared bats. A fossil specimen from the Late Holocene was found in Mé Auré Cave, but it was likely brought in by a predator rather than being where the bat roosted.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The New Caledonian Long-eared Bat is currently known from only four specimens collected on Mount Koghis in the early 1990s. If extant,it is likely threatened by ongoing habitat destruction across New Caledonia and perhaps tourists frequent the mountain where is last recorded. Additional research on its distribution, ecology, and threats is needed.

Bibliography. Dobson (1878), Flannery (1995a), Hand & Grant-Mackie (2012), Kirsch et al. (2002), Parnaby (2002a, 2008a, 2009).