Threatened species & ecological communities

The Action Plan for Australian Bats

Environment Australia, 1999
ISBN 0 642 2546 363

Recovery outlines and taxon summaries (continued)

Taxon summary: Central-eastern Broad-nosed Bat

Family: Vespertilionidae

Scientific name: Scotorepens sp.

Common name: Central-eastern Broad-nosed Bat

Conservation status: Data Deficient

Past range and abundance

Unknown, as only recently recognised as a separate species (Parnaby 1992). The former range was probably similar to its present distribution i.e. central and north-east New South Wales coast, extending into south-east Queensland. Likely to have been more widespread and less patchily distributed within its range pre-colonisation. A re-examination of the collections of Scotorepens species in museums may reveal the former distribution, but only if its taxonomic identification is stabilised (see Parnaby 1995).

Current distribution

Poorly known. The only description of the range is to be found in Parnaby (1992, 1995). This species has some affinity to S. greyii (Parnaby 1992, 1995) and it may be part of the S. greyii/S. sanborni species complex. The uncertainty of identification (due in part to the difficulty in separating this species from S. greyii and S. sanborni in the field) has resulted in a number of records of this species being questionable (e.g. in the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service Wildlife Atlas and the faunal database of the Department of Natural Resources, Queensland). Nevertheless, S. greyii is not considered to occur east of the Great Divide (compare Parnaby 1992, 1995, Gilmore and Parnaby 1994 and Strahan 1995, with Strahan 1983), and therefore there may be no range overlap with this species (or S. orion).

Current information indicates that this species is patchily distributed along a quite narrow coastal strip in eastern Australia, extending from central New South Wales to south-east Queensland (Parnaby 1992). The northern and southern limits of its range are unknown at present, and all reliable records are east of the Great Dividing Range (Parnaby 1992). Recent survey work reveals that in some localities, it appears to be well represented. For example, in Bundjalung National Park in north-eastern New South Wales, it was the most commonly captured species in harp traps (Schulz unpub.).

Habitat

This species occurs predominantly in dry sclerophyll forest, coastal eucalypt woodland and heathland. It appears to be sympatric with S. orion for most of its range (see Parnaby 1992, Tidemann 1995), but it is not clear whether it shares a similar lifestyle. For example, S. orion has been found in tall, wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest, but it has been caught foraging in open forest as well (Tidemann 1995). There is no information on the roosting requirements of this species and no maternity sites have been located. However, like S. orion, S. greyii and S. sanborni, it is likely to roost predominantly in tree hollows.

Current threats

Not clearly known. Suspected threats may include extensive clearing and fragmentation of suitable habitat in coastal and sub-coastal areas for residential development and agricultural purposes. Forest harvesting and associated activities may be threats through direct mortality of individuals (tree felling) reduction in the availability of suitable hollows as roosts and maternity sites, and the alteration in prey availability. Forest fragmentation may be a threat depending on the roosting and foraging requirements of this species.

Recommended actions

Bibliography

Gilmore A. and Parnaby H. 1994. Vertebrate fauna of conservation concern in north-east NSW forests. North East Forests Biodiversity Study Report No.3e. Report to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (unpublished).

Hall L.S. and Richards G.C. 1979. Bats of Eastern Australia. Queensland Museum Booklet No. 12. Queensland Museum, Brisbane.

Kitchener D. and Caputi N. 1985. Systematic revision of Australian Scoteanax and Scotorepens, with remarks on relationships to other Nycticeiini. Records of the Western Australian Museum 12, 85–146.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. 1994. Fauna of north-east NSW forests. North East Forests Biodiversity Study. Report No. 3. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney.

Parnaby H. 1992. An interim guide to identification of insectivorous bats of south-eastern Australia. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum No. 8. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Parnaby H. 1995. Identification criteria and taxonomic clarification of some problematic bat species in north-eastern New South Wales. Appendix A. In NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Vertebrates of Upper North East New South Wales. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville.

Parnaby H.E. In prep. The management of bats in timber-production forests of New South Wales. Report to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville.

Strahan R. (Ed.) 1983. The Australian Museum Complete Book of Australian Mammals. Angus & Robertson, Sydney.

Strahan R. (Ed.) 1995. The Mammals of Australia. Reed Books, Chatswood, NSW.

Tidemann C.R. 1995. Eastern Broad-nosed Bat Scotorepens orion. pp. 531–532 in R. Strahan (Ed.) The Mammals of Australia. Reed Books, Chatswood, NSW.

Troughton E. Le G. 1937. Six new bats (Microchiroptera) from the Australian region. Australian Zoologist 8, 274–281.

Troughton E. Le G. 1941. Furred Animals of Australia. Angus & Roberston, Sydney.

Authors for the species

Martin Schulz
Harry Parnaby
Roger Coles