164.

Ruppell’s Broad-nosed Bat

Scoteanax rueppellii

French: Sérotine de Rippell / German: GroRRe Breitnasenfledermaus / Spanish: Scoteno de Rippell

Other common names: Greater Broad-nosed Bat

Taxonomy. Nyticejus ruppelliz Peters, 1866, “Sydney,” New South Wales, Australia.

Phylogenetic position of S. rueppellii is currently unknown because it has not been included in any broad-scale phylogenetic studies; it is tentatively included under Eptesicini. Monotypic.

Distribution. E & SE Queensland and E New South Wales, Australia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 63-3— 72-7 mm, tail 44-5-58-5> mm, ear 15-6-17-8 mm, forearm 50-5-56-2 mm; weight 20-39-8 g. Riippell’s Broad-nosed Bat is similar to species of Scotorepens but is much larger. Dorsal pelage is reddish brown to dark brown; ventral pelageis slightly paler. Ears are slender and triangular, with moderately rounded tips and notches on posterior edges. Tragus is triangular because of well-defined lobe midway along posterior edge, and anterior edge is straight or slightly concave. Muzzle is broad and short, with square inflated glands on each side. Ears and membranes are blackish brown, and bare face, forearms, and digits are dark pinkish brown. Uropatagium attaches at calcar and extends to tip of tail. Penis is mostly hairless. Baculum is long (8-5-8-8 mm) and vaguely T-shaped in lateral view, with flat tip, thickened upward turned base, and basal notch running up dorso-ventrally broadened base. Skull is relatively narrow but large; sagittal and lambdoidal crests are well developed, forming prominent occipital helmet; anterior palatal emargination extends to behind upper canines; P* is two-thirds the height of C'; and M” is greatly reduced. Rappell’s Broad-nosed Bat is often confused with the Eastern False Pipistrelle ( Falsistrellus tasmaniensis), from which it can be identified by having two instead of four upper incisors and absence of gap between canines and incisors. Dental formulais11/3, C 1/1, Pl/2,M 3/3 (x2) =30.

Habitat. Various habitats including mature coastalforests, rainforests, open woodlands, Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) swamp woodlands, wet and dry sclerophyll forests, cleared paddocks with remnanttrees, and tree-lined creeks in open regions from sea level up to ¢. 1200 m. Typically associated with mild winters and rainfall over 600 mm /year.

Food and Feeding. Riippell’s Broad-nosed Bats forage by aerial-hawking and perchhunting and fly at moderate speeds with limited maneuverability. They are primarily insectivorous and mostly eat beetles but also moths, ants, and large flies. Spiders were also found (20% occurrence) in one study, which was unexpected given morphology and general feeding habits. Although not recorded in the wild, they probably regularly eat other bats; they have been observed circling around researchers while they were handling bats and have been seen chasing Chocolate Wattled Bats ( Chalinolobus morio) when they emerged from their roosts at dusk. In captivity, they eat other bats and break into adjacent cages to eat them. They have also been seen eating bats caught in mist nets with them, particularlyjuveniles.

Breeding. Female Riippell’s Broad-nosed Bats give birth to one young in January and form maternity colonies a little before giving birth.

Activity patterns. Ruppell’s Broad-nosed Bats are nocturnal and have been found roosting in tree hollows, crevices, roofs of old buildings, and under bark on trunks and dead branches. Call shapeis steep FM/QCF sweep, with characteristic frequencies of 32-36-5 kHz in New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Riippell’s Broad-nosed Bats seem to roost in colonies, and maternity colonies do not have males. They might also roost alone and appear to often switch roosts.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Baverstock et al. (1987), Calaby (1966), Campbell (2001), Churchill (2008), Hoye & Richards (2008), Kitchener & Caputi (1985), Lunney & Pennay (2008), Reinhold, Law et al. (2001), Wilson (2006), Wooodside & Long (1984).