Saccolaimus mixtus, Troughton, 1925

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 357

17 . Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat

Saccolaimus mixtus

French: Taphien papou / German: Papua-Glattnasenfreischwanz / Spanish: Tafozo de Papua

Other common names: Cape York Sheath-tailed Bat

Taxonomy. Saccolaimus mixtus Troughton, 1925 ,

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea .

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. S Papua New Guinea (S coastal region in Western Province and National Capital District) and N Australia (N Cape York Peninsula); possibly on Torres Strait Is.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 72-79 mm, tail 22-29 mm, ear 17-20 mm, hindfoot 13—15 mm, forearm 61-68 mm; weight 21-27 g. Dorsum of the Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat is dark gray-brown, with some whitetipped hairs; venter is white or pale buff-brown. Gular pouch is well developed in males and poorly developed in females. Radio-metacarpal sacs are present and lined with white fur in both sexes. Rump is well haired. Flight membranes, face, ears, tail, forearm, and feet are black. Eyes large. Ears are broadly rounded and barely rise above crown of head. Strong, long calcars support trailing edges of uropatagium in flight.

Habitat. Open eucalypt woodlands, sclerophyll forests, and along riparian systems. The Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat is common in larger tracts of Eucalyptus tetrodonta (Myrt aceae) on Cape York.

Food and Feeding. The Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat forages for insects over and underneath tree canopies.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat is crepuscular. It will roost in limestone caves in Papua New Guinea but more frequently shelters in tree hollows. In Australia, it often roosts in dead snags of E. tetrodonta . It emerges at dusk to forage on aerial insects above sclerophyll forest canopies or high over rivers and canyons. Low-frequency, long-duration echolocation calls of the Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat are very similar to those of the Bare-rumped Sheath-tailed Bat ( S. saccolaimus ), but they lack sharp downward frequency sweep near ends of calls of the latter. Multiharmonic call pulses of the Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat have characteristic frequency of 21 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat roosts in groups of 2—7 individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on 77 ze IUCNRed List. Numbers ofreproductively mature Papuan Sheath-tailed Bats have declined in some regional populations. Threats include large-scale removal of tall forests for bauxite mining on Cape York, habitat modification in southern New Guinea, and frequent hot burning regimes in parts of Cape York affecting succession and longevity of large, old trees required for roost hollows. The Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat occurs in protected areas on Cape York Peninsula and Tonda Wildlife Management Area in Papua New Guinea. Research on basic biology, in particular habitat and roosting preferences, is needed. Acoustic surveys should be conducted to better define distribution especially in Papua New Guinea.

Bibliography. Armstrong & Konishi (2013), Armstrong, Broken-Brow et at. (2017), Bonaccorso (1998), Flannery (1995a), Hall & Richards (1979), Reardon eta /. (2010), Strahan (1995),Tate (1941),Thomson eta /. (2008), Troughton (1925), Waithman (1979).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Hamilton'sTomb Bat [Taphozous hamiltoni); 5. Hildegarde'sTomb Bat (Taphozous hildegardeae}; 6. Long-winged Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous longimanus); 7. Black-beardedTomb Bat (Taphozous melanopogoh); 8. Theobald'sTomb Bat (Taphozous theobaldi); 9. Indonesian Tomb Bat (Taphozous achates); 10. Arnhem Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous kapalgensis}; 11. Coastal Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous australis}; 12. Common Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous georgianus); 13. Hill's Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous hilli); 14. Troughton's Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous troughtoni); 15. Pel's Pouched Bat (Saccolaimus peli); 16. Bare-rumped Sheathtailed Bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus); 17. Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus mixtus); 18. Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris).

Distribution. S Papua New Guinea (S coastal region in Western Province and National Capital District) and N Australia (N Cape York Peninsula); possibly on Torres Strait Is.