Observations of the 'Critically Endangered' bare-rumped sheathtail bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus Temminck (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.

Abstract

THE bare-rumped sheathtailed bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus is a poorly understood species that has a wide distribution covering parts of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaya, Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Northern Australia (Bonaccorso 1998). First collected in Australia by De Vis near Cardwell, the current known distribution in Queensland (Qld) extends from Bowen to Cooktown with one isolated specimen collected near Coen on Cape York Peninsula (Hall 1995; Duncan et al. 1999). It has also been recorded in the Alligator River area in the Northern Territory (McKean et al. 1981). The conservation status of S. saccolaimus in Qld has recently been defined as ‘Critically Endangered’, and the species has not been recorded anywhere in Australia for at least 18 years (Duncan et al. 1999; Menkhorst and Knight 2001). The likely reasons for the apparent decline are unclear, but may involve land-clearing and changed fire regimes in the coastal zone where it is thought to occur (Duncan et al. 1999). In contrast, Bonaccorso (1998) considers S. saccolaimus to be secure, albeit also poorly known in Papua New Guinea.