89.

Mount Missim Long-eared Bat

Nyctophilus shirleyae

French: Nyctophile de Shirley / German: Shirley-Langohrfledermaus / Spanish: Nictofila de Shirley

Other common names: New Guinea Big-eared Bat, Shirley's Long-eared Bat

Taxonomy. Nyctophilus shirleyae Parnaby, 2009,

“Southwestern slopes of Mt Missim, Kuper Range, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, 17° [sic] 16’ S, 146° 46’ E.”

The type locality in the original description contained a mistake in the latitude, which for Mount Missim should have been 7°16’ S, 146°46’ E. Nyctophilus shirleyae is tentatively in the bifax species group, although additional studies are needed to determine its relationships to other Nyctophilus . Records now attributed to it were previously attributable to N. timoriensis, although this name is now considered a species inquirenda and was broken into four species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Recorded from two localities in Papua New Guinea, Mt Missim in Morobe Province and Trans-Fly region of Western Province;it likely has a wider distribution, and there is a third possible record (as N. timoriensis) from Daru I that requires validation.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 52-64 mm,tail 48-52 mm, ear 25.3-25.4 mm, forearm 45-5-48-5 mm; weight 11-5-13 g. The Mount Missim 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. Dorsal pelage is grayish brown; venteris grayish white. Face, ears, and wing membranes are dark brown. Rostrum is short and blunt, with ridge across muzzle over nostrils that is moderately developed and low with moderately developed medial depression. Ears are very large and broad, with bluntly roundedtips, 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; tragusis small and bluntly rounded at tip, being convex on anterior margin. Skull is robust; tympanic bullae are small even compared with the Eastern Long-eared Bat (N. bifax) and set comparatively far apart; and M” and lower molars are moderately reduced, more reduced than in the Eastern Long-eared Bat.

Habitat. Primary rainforest on Mount Missim and dry monsoon forest in the Trans-Fly region at elevations of 500-1700 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. All four Mount Missim Long-eared Bats captured in November in the Trans-Fly region were lactating, and a female captured in July at Mount Missim had regressed teats.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Mount Missim Long-eared Bat is known only from twelve individuals, seven of which were captured in 2006. Additional sampling is needed to determineits full distribution and understand its ecology and taxonomy.

Bibliography. Bonaccorso (1998), Hill & Pratt (1981), Parnaby (2009, 2017).