Emballonura beccarli, Peters & Doria, 1881

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 360

23 . Beccari’s Sheath-tailed Bat

Emballonura beccarli

French: Emballonure de Beccari / German: Beccari-reischwanzfledermaus / Spanish: Embalonuro de Beccari

Taxonomy. Emballonura beccarii Peters & Doria, 1881 ,

“ Ansus, (Ins. Jobi [= Yapen Island]),” Tienderawashih , West Papua, Indonesia.

Three subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

E. b. beccarti. Peters & Doria, 1881 - NW New Guinea (including Biak and Yapen Is), Bismarck Archipelago (New Ireland I) and N Solomon Is (Bougainville I).

E. b. clavium Thomas, 1915 - Kai Is.

E. b. meeki Thomas, 1896 - SE New Guinea, Trobriand Is (Kiriwina), and Louisiade Archipelago (Woodlark and Alcester).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 34-50 mm, tail 10-22 mm, ear 12-18 mm, hindfoot 6-8 mm, forearm 37-5-44-6 mm; weight 3-5-5-3 g. Beccari’s Sheath-tailed Bat is not sexually dimorphic in appearance or body size. It is the second smallest emballonurid, following the Dark Sheath-tailed Bat ( Mosia nigrescens ) in the Papuan region. Dorsal fur of Beccari’s Sheath-tailed Bat is dusky red-brown or medium brown, with unicolored hairs that are silky and moderately long. Ventral fur is pale gray-brown. Flight membranes are brown. Muzzle is pug-like. When pressed forward, hair from crown of head reaches tip of muzzle. Eyes are relatively small compared with other emballonurids. Toe claws are brown at bases becoming whitish at tips. Tragus is rectangular, being longer than broad.

Habitat. Wet forests from lowland rainforests to lower montane forests from sea level to elevations of c.1500 m. Beccari’s Sheath-tailed Bat is more common above 500 m on New Guinea, but it prefers lower elevations on smaller islands.

Food and Feeding. Beccari’s Sheath-tailed Bat forages for insects along forest streams and in clearings and dense rainforest. Beetles are included in the diet.

Breeding. In the New Guinea highlands, pregnant Beccari’s Sheath-tailed Bats have been found in August, and lactation occurs in October.

Activity patterns. Beccari’s Sheath-tailed Bat is crepuscular and becomes active in forest understories before sunset. It is cave dwelling and clings to vertical walls with its head down; it occurs only in twilight zones of caves.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Individual spacing of a few centimeters between individuals is maintained at roosts. All-male colonies of up to 18 individuals have been found on Alcester Island.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Beccari’s Sheath-tailed Bat has a large distribution and presumably large and stable overall population. Beneficial conservation actions include protection of known roosting caves, providing community awareness programs about the importance of bats, and identification of additional important roosting sites.

Bibliography. Bonaccorso (1998), Bonaccorso & Leary (2008a), Flannery (1995a, 1995b), Smith & Hood (1981), Vestjens & Hall (1977).

Figures

On following pages: 22. New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura furati); 23. Beccari's Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura beccarti); 24. Large-eared Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura dianae); 25. Seri'sSheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura sertii); 26. Pacific Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura semicaudata); 27. Western Sheath-tailed Bat (Paremballonura tiavato); 28. Peters's Sheath-tailed Bat (Paremballonura atrata); 29. African Sheath-tailed Bat (Coleura afra); 30. Seychelles Sheath-tailed Bat (Coleura seychellensis); 31. Madagascar Sheath-tailed Bat (Coleura kibomalandy); 32. Dark Sheath-tailed Bat (Mosia nigrescens); 33. Chestnut Sac-winged Bat (Cormura brevirostris); 34. Gray Sac-winged Bat (Balantiopteryx plicata); 35. Thomas's Sac-winged Bat (Balantiopteryx io); 36. Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat (Balantiopteryx infusca).

Subspecies and Distribution. E. b. beccarti. Peters & Doria, 1881 - NW New Guinea (including Biak and Yapen Is), Bismarck Archipelago (New Ireland I) and N Solomon Is (Bougainville I). E. b. clavium Thomas, 1915 - Kai Is. E. b. meeki Thomas, 1896 - SE New Guinea, Trobriand Is (Kiriwina), and Louisiade Archipelago (Woodlark and Alcester).