AMERICAN MUSEUM Novltates PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 Number 2778, pp. 1-48, figure 1 January 31, 1984 Taxonomic and Distributional Notes on Tropical Australian Bats KARL F. KOOPMAN1 ABSTRACT The bats oftropical Australia are reviewed with the three areas adjacent to tropical Australia, New some 51 species recognized, though a few are very Guinea shares a large number of species, whereas poorly known. A new subspecies, Pipistrellus ten- temperate Australia and the Lesser Sunda Islands uis westralis is described and Rhinolophus me- share relatively few. New Guinea has probably gaphyllus ignifer is synonymized with R. m. me- been an important source area for tropical Aus- gaphyllus. The two previously recognized tralian bats, particularly those confined to the Cape subspecies of Macroderma gigas are also synon- York Peninsula. The low level ofendemism among ymized. A majority oftropical Australian bats are Australian bats strongly implies that there were restricted to mesic areas, but a number are more no bats in Australia prior to the Miocene, when or less arid tolerant. Only one species (Taphozous Australia drifted far enough to the north to be able hilli) actually avoids mesic areas. The Cape York to receive species occurring on the extended Malay Peninsula has the greatest number of species with archipelago. Since then some low level endemism a falling off in numbers to the west and south. Of and adaptive radiation has developed in Australia. INTRODUCTION More than three decades have passed since portant of these collections are those made Tate (1952a) published on the bats of the by G. Neuhauser (1937-1938), and J. Rob- Cape York Peninsula. During that period, the erts (1949-1969) in northern Queensland; R. American Museum has obtained numerous F. Peterson (1959) in northern Queensland tropical Australian bat specimens, not only and northeastern Northern Territory; Rosen, from already well-represented northern Nelson, and Butler (1969) in northwestern Queensland but also from the Northern Ter- Northern Territory and Western Australia; ritory and Western Australia. The most im- and by W. H. Butler (1963-1966, 1973) in ' Curator, Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History. Copyright © American Museum of Natural History 1984 ISSN 0003-0082 / Price $3.20 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 2778 Western Australia. With recent quickening personal encouragement while he visited here. interest in bat systematics among Australian Mr. John McKean ofthe Conservation Com- mammalogists (see Hall, 1981, and refer- mission of the Northern Territory, Australia ences therein), this seems a propitious time sent me copies of several papers which were to put on record this additional, largely un- useful in this study. I thank Dr. R. M. Timm published material. Specimens from the Mu- ofthe Field Museum ofNatural History, Chi- seum of Comparative Zoology (Cambridge), cago for permission to study specimens in his National Museum ofNatural History (Wash- care. I also thank the entire staff of the Di- ington), Field Museum of Natural History vision of Mammals and the Bird and Mam- (Chicago), and British Museum (Natural His- mal Laboratories, National Museum of Nat- tory-London) are referred to where they pro- ural History, Smithsonian Institution, vide additional taxonomic and distributional Washington, D.C. for access to their collec- information. tions and for numerous courtesies. Ms. M. E. I define tropical Australia in this paper as Rutzmoser of the Museum of Comparative Australia north of the tropic of Capricorn, Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, has giv- thus approximately the northern two-thirds en me information about specimens and was ofQueensland, all but the southernmost por- very helpful during my visit. As always Mr. tion ofthe Northern Territory, and about the John Hill of the British Museum (Natural northern three-fifths of Western Australia. History) has been helpful in numerous ways, About 22 genera and 51 species of bats are both during my visits to London and in re- known from within this area. This is depau- sponse to my inquiries. Likewise, Miss Jean perate compared to a number of other trop- Ingles was extremely helpful during the same ical areas, but it can probably be explained visit. Finally, I acknowledge with thanks the by three factors, the peripheral position of help I received from Mrs. Laurel E. Schiller Australia, the small portion occupied by rain of the Department of Life Sciences, Indiana forest, and the absence ofhigh mountains and State University, Terre Haute. Not only did extensive highland areas, thus contrasting she make her own collections of bats from markedly with New Guinea to the north. Al- the Kimberley region freely available, but she though most species of Australian bats do also shared her ideas concerning species dis- occur in the tropical portion, extra-tropical tinctions and ecology of bats from that re- species and populations are discussed only as gion. they throw light on those to the north. The most important ecological division of SYSTEMATICS tropical Australia is the Great Dividing a All six bat families known from Australia Range. These mountains separate fairly occur in the tropical north and are discussed narrow strip of relatively mesic habitat (with in turn. All specimen measurements are in patches ofrain forest) along the Pacific Ocean otherwise stated. from the dryer areas farther west. Many millimeters unless species appear to be confined to this strip east of the Great Dividing Range (see maps in FAMILY PTEROPODIDAE Hall and Richards, 1979). West of the Great Five genera ofpteropodids are known from Dividing Range, there are a few relatively Australia and occur north of the Tropic of mesic areas in the extreme north of the Capricorn. With the exception of Pteropus, Northern Territory and Western Australia, each is known by only a single species, at least but conditions become increasingly arid to as represented by American Museum mate- the south. rial. GENUS Pteropus: All the Australian species occur in the tropical north. Four species are ACKNOWLEDGMENTS well known and are treated below. The fifth First of all I thank Dr. John Calaby of (P. brunneus) is of uncertain status. Still CSIRO in Lyneham, ACT, Australia, who known only from the type collected on Percy lent me critical specimens from the CSIRO Island off east central Queensland, it has collections and also provided considerable always constituted a problem. It is clearly 1984 KOOPMAN: AUSTRALIAN BATS 3 very distinct from any other Australian - Islands appear to be the most probable source Pteropus, and, unlike any ofthem, is a mem- area for brunneus (whether regarded as the ber ofthe subnigergroup (called by Andersen, single known representative of a population 1912, the hypomelanus group). Hall and or as based on an individual waif), I am un- Richards (1979, p. 13) suggest that the type willing to synonymize brunneus with admi- ofbrunneus was an accidental windblown waif ralitatum solomonis since it falls outside its from the Louisiades, which would make the known size range. I am particularly reluctant name a senior synonym of P. hypomelanus to do this because brunneus (Dobson, 1878) luteus. However, I have compared the type is an older name than solomonis (Thomas, of brunneus (at the British Museum) with 1 904-or-even admiralitatum (Thomas, 1894) Louisiade specimens of h. luteus and the two and would therefore become the name for taxa are clearly distinct, the characters An- both the subspecies and species. dersen (1912) gives appear to hold. The only Pteropus alecto: This is a widespread other members of the subniger group, which species, going all the way across tropical Aus- occur on islands bordering the Coral Sea (and tralia from eastern Queensland to Western therefore the only members which could rea- Australia. All Australian populations are re- sonably be blown to Percy Island) are ad- ferable to P. a. gouldi, which also barely gets miralitatum solomonis (Solomons), sanctae- into extreme southern New Guinea (Waith- crucis (Santa Cruz Islands), and o. ornatus man, 1979). Other subspecies occur on var- (New Caledonia). Of these, ornatus is much ious islands to the northwest of Australia. too large (forearm 145-152 vs. 118). Judged Tate (1 952a, p. 61 0) recorded specimens from by Troughton's (1930) description, sanctae- five localities on Cape York. The American crucis is the right size (forearm 1 12-121), but Museum also has a single specimen from the dorsal side of the tibia is hairless, unlike Normanton, northwestern Queensland, tak- brunneus, a character which Andersen (1912, en by R. F. Peterson in 1959. There are also pp. 90, 91) emphasized; although it should numerous specimens collected by W. H. But- be mentioned that the species P. admirali- ler (1964-1966, 1973) from five localities in tatum as presently constituted (Laurie and northern Western Australia (Kalumburu; Hill, 1954, p. 33) contains subspecies which Mitchell River; Parry Creek; Tunnel Creek; have tibiae either hairy (solomonis) or rela- Tambrey). The last locality is near the south- tively hairless (admiralitatum, colonus, gow- ern limit of the range in the west as given by ern). Of these members of the subniger group Ride (1970, p. 180), but Kitchener and Vick- around the Coral Sea, solomonis seems most er (1981) record the species from consider- like brunneus, agreeing in hairiness ofthe tib- ably farther south. ia, but was keyed out by Andersen (1912, p. Pteropus conspicillatus: This is primarily a 91) on the basis of shorter forearm (110 vs. New Guinea species. The nominate subspe- 1 8) and shorter maxillary tooth row (less vs. cies (to which Australian populations belong) more than 22). Since 1912, several published occupies at least the eastern half of New (Sanborn, 1931; Sanborn and Beecher, 1947; Guinea, another subspecies occurs in the Hill, 197 1) and unpublished (American Mu- northwest and also in the Moluccas.