Saccolaimus flaviventris
| Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Suborder: | Microchiroptera |
| Family: | Emballonuridae |
| Genus: | Saccolaimus |
| Species: | S. flaviventris |
| Binomial name | |
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Saccolaimus flaviventris Peters, 1867 |
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| Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat range | |
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris), also known as the yellow-bellied sheathtail or yellow-bellied pouched bat, is a microbat species of the family Emballonuridae that is found extensively in Australia and less commonly in parts of Papua New Guinea.
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. 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
At present, the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is the only member of Microchiroptera that has been positively identified as a carrier of Australian bat lyssavirus.
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat belongs to the suborder Microchiroptera, or insectivorous microbats, and is the largest Australian member of the family Emballonuridae. Emballonuridae is distinguished by a partially membrane enclosed tail that projects into a sheath, hence the descriptive term ‘sheathtail’, and is represented by eight known Australian species. Within Australia, the family is divided into two genera: Taphozous and Saccolaimus, the latter of which the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is one of only four known representatives world-wide.
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is quite large with a mean body weight of 44 grams that ranges from 27.8-60g, and a mean head-body length of 81.8 millimetres that ranges from 72.3-91.9mm. It has distinct fur colouration, with the dorsal back being a shiny, jet black and the ventral underside a contrasting creamy, white. Males of the species have a distinctive gular throat pouch that is believed to play a role in territorial marking. The throat pouch is absent in females, who instead have naked folds of skin around the throat. Unlike many other sheathtails, this species does not have a wing pouch in either sex.
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Wikipedia