Movements and day roosts of the Chocolate Wattled Bat Chalinolobus morio (Gray) (Microchiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in a logged forest.

Abstract

Movements and day roosts of the Chocolate Wattled Bat Chalinolobus morio were studied in Mumbulla State Forest near Bega on the south coast of New South Wales from 1981-1984. Part of the forest had been intensively logged since 1979, leaving a patchwork of alternate logged and unlogged coupes of 10-20 ha each. This part of the forest contained the major part of the study area. The location of roosts and the movements of bats were estimated from (a) recapture data of 11 bats from among the 88 which had been caught, banded and released, (b) reports by logging crews, and (c) radio emissions from transmitters fitted to 3 bats. Trapping data alone greatly underestimated distances moved by this species. Radio-tracking revealed that C. morio can fly rapidly through several kilometres of forest and so make use of widespread resources. It was concluded that the assessment of habitat preferences of this species should incorporate resources within at least 5 km from the site of capture. All three bats caught in logged forest flew 5 km to roost in unlogged forest, and the two identified roosts were in exceptionally large trees. The authors concluded that to conserve C. morio in a forest to be logged requires the retention of some trees in a range of age classes to replace existing roost trees when they die and fall, as well as the retention of areas of forest in a permanently unlogged state.