The northern freetail bat (Chaerephon jobensis) is a species of bat found in Yapen, Seram Island, Western New Guinea and Northern Australia.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 1902 by American zoologist Gerrit Smith Miller. Miller placed it in the now-defunct genus Nyctinomus, naming it Nyctinomus jobensis. Miller likely chose the species name "jobensis" because the holotype was discovered on Jobie Island near the community of Ansus. The holotype was collected by Italian naturalist Odoardo Beccari.
Description
It has been described as having "features reminiscent of Darth Vader." From head to tail, it is approximately 98 mm (3.9 in) long. Its head and body is 80–90 mm (3.1–3.5 in) long, and its tail is 35–45 mm (1.4–1.8 in) long. Its forearm is 46–52 mm (1.8–2.0 in) long. It weighs 20–30 g (0.71–1.06 oz).
Biology and behavior
They will fly and forage in groups of two or more individuals. Its foraging style utilizes fast, direct flight suited for open areas or above canopies. It is insectivorous, consuming beetles, bugs, moths, lacewings, grasshoppers, cockroaches, flies and leafhoppers. It is one of the only species of bat in Australia that can be heard when foraging. Its echolocation frequency is relatively low (15-25kHz), overlapping with the upper range of sounds audible to humans. It is nocturnal, roosting in sheltered places during the day such as tree hollows or caves. These roosts can consist of many individuals, as it is a colonial species.
Range and habitat
It prefers to forage in the tropical savannas of Northern Australia. It is also found in urban areas, using artificial lights to forage for the insects attracted to them.
Conservation
It is currently evaluated as least concern by the IUCN—its lowest conservation priority. It meets the criteria for this assessment because it has a large geographic range, a large population, it occurs in protected areas, and it tolerates human modification of landscapes. Its population trend is stable.
Extant species of family Molossidae
|
---|
|
|
|
Subfamily Molossinae
|
---|
|
Chaerephon (Lesser mastiff bats) |
- Duke of Abruzzi's free-tailed bat (C. aloysiisabaudiae)
- C. atsinanana
- Ansorge's free-tailed bat (C. ansorgei)
- Gland-tailed free-tailed bat (C. bemmeleni)
- Spotted free-tailed bat (C. bivittata)
- Fijian mastiff bat (C. bregullae)
- Chapin's free-tailed bat (C. chapini)
- Gallagher's free-tailed bat (C. gallagheri)
- Northern freetail bat (C. jobensis)
- Red free-tailed bat (C. jobimena)
- Northern free-tailed bat (C. johorensis)
- Grandidier's free-tailed bat (C. leucogaster)
- Lappet-eared free-tailed bat (C. major)
- Nigerian free-tailed bat (C. nigeriae)
- Wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat (C. plicata)
- Little free-tailed bat (C. pumila)
- Russet free-tailed bat (C. russata)
- Solomons mastiff bat (C. solomonis)
- São Tomé free-tailed bat (C. tomensis)
|
---|
|
Cheiromeles (Naked bats) |
- Hairless bat (C. torquatus)
- C. parvidens
|
---|
|
Cynomops |
- Cinnamon dog-faced bat (C. abrasus)
- Greenhall's dog-faced bat (C. greenhalli)
- Mexican dog-faced bat (C. mexicanus)
- C. milleri
- Para dog-faced bat (C. paranus)
- Southern dog-faced bat (C. planirostris)
|
---|
|
Eumops (Mastiff bats) |
- Black bonneted bat (E. auripendulus)
- Dwarf bonneted bat (E. bonariensis)
- Big bonneted bat (E. dabbenei)
- E. ferox
- Florida bonneted bat (E. floridanus)
- Wagner's bonneted bat (E. glaucinus)
- Sanborn's bonneted bat (E. hansae)
- Guianan bonneted bat (E. maurus)
- E. nanus
- Patagonian bonneted bat (E. patagonicus)
- Western mastiff bat (E. perotis)
- Colombian bonneted bat (E. trumbulli)
- Underwood's bonneted bat (E. underwoodi)
- E. wilsoni
|
---|
|
Mormopterus |
- Subgenus Mormopterus
- Natal free-tailed bat (M. acetabulosus)
- M. francoismoutoui
- Sumatran mastiff bat (M. doriae)
- Peters's wrinkle-lipped bat (M. jugularis)
- Kalinowski's mastiff bat (M. kalinowskii)
- Little goblin bat (M. minutus)
- Incan little mastiff bat (M. phrudus)
- Subgenus Micronomus
- East-coast free-tailed bat (M. norfolkensis)
- Subgenus Ozimops
- Beccari's free-tailed bat (M. beccarii)
- M. halli
- M. kitcheneri
- M. loriae
- M. lumsdenae
- M. petersi
- Southern free-tailed bat (M. planiceps)
- Eastern free-tailed bat (M. ridei)
- Subgenus Setirostris
- M. eleryi
|
---|
|
Molossops (Broad-faced bats) |
- Equatorial dog-faced bat (M. (Cabreramops) aequatorianus)
- Mato Grosso dog-faced bat (M. mattogrossensis)
- Rufous dog-faced bat (M. neglectus)
- Dwarf dog-faced bat (M. temminckii)
|
---|
|
Molossus (Velvety free-tailed bats) |
- Aztec mastiff bat (M. aztecus)
- M. barnesi
- Coiban mastiff bat (M. coibensis)
- Bonda mastiff bat (M. currentium)
- Velvety free-tailed bat (M. molossus)
- Miller's mastiff bat (M. pretiosus)
- Black mastiff bat (M. rufus)
- Sinaloan mastiff bat (M. sinaloae)
- M. trinitatus
|
---|
|
Mops (Greater mastiff bats) |
- Subgenus Xiphonycteris
- Spurrell's free-tailed bat (M. spurrelli)
- Dwarf free-tailed bat (M. nanulus)
- Peterson's free-tailed bat (M. petersoni)
- M. leonis
- Sierra Leone free-tailed bat (M. brachyptera)
- M. bakarii
- Railer bat (M. thersites)
- Subgenus Mops
- Angolan free-tailed bat (M. condylurus)
- White-bellied free-tailed bat (M. niveiventer)
- Mongalla free-tailed bat (M. demonstrator)
- Malayan free-tailed bat (M. mops)
- Sulawesi free-tailed bat (M. sarasinorum)
- Trevor's free-tailed bat (M. trevori)
- M. congica
- Midas free-tailed bat (M. midas)
- Niangara free-tailed bat (M. niangarae)
- Medje free-tailed bat (M. congicus)
- M. leucostigma
|
---|
|
Myopterus |
- Daubenton's free-tailed bat (M. daubentonii)
- Bini free-tailed bat (M. whitleyi)
|
---|
|
Neoplatymops |
- Mato Grosso dog-faced bat (N. mattogrossensis)
|
---|
|
Nyctinomops (New World
free-tailed bats) |
|
---|
|
Otomops (Big-eared
free-tailed bats) |
- Javan mastiff bat (O. formosus)
- Harrison's large-eared giant mastiff bat (O. harrisoni)
- Johnstone's mastiff bat (O. johnstonei)
- Madagascar free-tailed bat (O. madagascariensis)
- Large-eared free-tailed bat (O. martiensseni)
- Big-eared mastiff bat (O. papuensis)
- Mantled mastiff bat (O. secundus)
- Wroughton's free-tailed bat (O. wroughtoni)
|
---|
|
Platymops |
- Peters's flat-headed bat (P. setiger)
|
---|
|
Promops (Domed-palate
mastiff bats) |
- Big crested mastiff bat (P. centralis)
- P. davisoni
- Brown mastiff bat (P. nasutus)
|
---|
|
Sauromys |
- Roberts's flat-headed bat (S. petrophilus)
|
---|
|
Tadarida (Free-tailed bats) |
- Egyptian free-tailed bat (T. aegyptiaca)
- White-striped free-tailed bat (T. australis)
- Mexican free-tailed bat (T. brasiliensis)
- Madagascan large free-tailed bat (T. fulminans)
- European free-tailed bat (T. insignis)
- New Guinea free-tailed bat (T. kuboriensis)
- La Touche's free-tailed bat (T. latouchei)
- Kenyan big-eared free-tailed bat (T. lobata)
- European free-tailed bat (T. teniotis)
- African giant free-tailed bat (T. ventralis)
|
---|
|
|
|
Subfamily Tomopeatinae
|
---|
|
Tomopeas |
- Blunt-eared bat (T. ravus)
|
---|
|
|
|