New Zealand Greater Short-tailed Bat
| New Zealand greater short-tailed bat | |
|---|---|
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| Specimen held at Auckland Museum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: |
Mystacinidae Dobson, 1875 |
| Genus: |
Mystacina Gray in Dieffenbach, 1843 |
| Species: | M. robusta |
| Binomial name | |
|
Mystacina robusta (Dwyer, 1962) |
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The New Zealand greater short-tailed bat (Mystacina robusta) is one of two species of New Zealand short-tailed bats, a family (Mystacinidae) unique to New Zealand. Larger than the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat, there have been no confirmed sightings of this species since 1965 and it is considered to be critically endangered, if not extinct. In prehistoric times it lived on the North and South Islands but by the time of European arrival was restricted to small islands near Stewart Island/Rakiura. It is thought that a rat invasion of Taukihepa/Big South Cape Island in 1963 led to the species extinction.
M. robusta was not considered to be separate from the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata) until 1962, when it was suggested as a subspecies. It was not recognized as a completely separate species within Mystacinidae until 1985, long after it was thought to have become extinct. Morphologically, M. robusta is larger than M. tuberculata with specimens of the former having a mean forearm length of 45.3-47.5mm as opposed to the latter, 40-45mm, which also has larger ears that reach beyond the muzzle when pushed forward. It is described as having a wingspan of 300mm and a body length of 90mm.
Very little is known about the biology of the species, since it was not recognized as a separate species until after it is believed to have become extinct.Edgar Stead visited Taukihepa/Big South Cape Island in 1936 and made several observations. He described the species as flying no more than “ten feet above the ground” and always after dusk. At one point he found seven bats roosting in a tree cavity in a state of torpor. After capturing a few and putting them in a cage they crawled around on the floor, much like New Zealand lesser short-tailed bats are known to do. As well as roosting in tree cavities, it is known that they roosted in granite caves on Taukihepa/Big South Cape Island and Rerewhakaupoko/Solomon Island.
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Wikipedia