Nyctophilus howensis McKean, 1975:330
Lord Howe long-eared bat, Lord Howe Island long-eared bat, Lord Howe Island bat
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Conservation Status
Extinct (Burbidge, 2024)
Last record: likely subfossil (Parnaby & Hoye, 2023:643); 1915 (Fisher & Blomberg, 2012; Lee et al., 2017); likely Holocene (Burbidge, 2024)
IUCN RedList status: Extinct
The Lord Howe Island long-eared bat is only known from a single incomplete skull of indeterminate age (McKean, 1975). The species is possibly still extant as locals on Lord Howe Island have reported two different bats, but only a single species is known to be extant on Lord Howe Island (Hall et al. 2008). In addition, Etheridge (1889) reported two different bats as well, suggesting that the species only very recently became extinct, or still exists.
Distribution
Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
McKean, J. L. (1975). The bats of Lord Howe Island with descriptions of a new Nyctophiline bat. Australian Mammalogy 1(4): 329-332. [Abstract]
Other references:
Alcover, Josep Antoni et al. (1998). Mammal Species of the World: Additional Data on Insular Mammals. American Museum Novitates 3248, 29 pp., 1 table.
Armstrong, Kyle and Reardon, Terry. (2006). Standardising the common names of Australian bats – an update. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 26: 35-42. [automatic download]
Burbidge, Andrew A. (2024). Australian terrestrial mammals: how many modern extinctions? Australian Mammalogy. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM23037
Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW). (2007). Lord Howe Island Biodiversity Management Plan Appendices. Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW), Sydney. vii + 267 pp.
Duncan, A., Baker, G. B. and Montgomery, N. (1999). The Action Plan for Australian Bats. Environment Australia, Canberra, Australia.
Etheridge, R. (1889). The general zoology of Lord Howe Island; containing also an account of the collections made by the Australian Museum Collecting Party, Aug.–Sept., 1887. Aust. Mus. Mem. 2(1): 1-42.
Fisher, Diana O. and Blomberg, Simon P. (2012). Inferring Extinction of Mammals from Sighting Records, Threats, and Biological Traits. Conservation Biology 26(1): 57-67. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01797.x
Fisher, Diana O. and Humphreys, Aelys M. (2024). Evidence for modern extinction in plants and animals. Biological Conservation 298: 110772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110772
Hall, L., Lumsden, L. and Parnaby, H. (2008). Nyctophilus howensis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. (http://www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 18 October 2011.
Jackson, Stephen and Groves, Colin. (2015). Taxonomy of Australian Mammals. Clayton South, Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. 529 pp. [p. 269]
Kitchener, D. J., How, R. A. and Maharadatunkamsi. (1991). A new species of Nyctophilus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Lembata Island, Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 15(1): 97-107.
Lee, T. E., Fisher, D. O., Blomberg, S. P. and Wintle, B. A. (2017). Extinct or still out there? Disentangling influences on extinction and rediscovery helps to clarify the fate of species on the edge. Global Change Biology 23(2): 621-634. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13421
Lumsden, L.F. & Reardon, T.B. 2020. Nyctophilus howensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T15006A22009211. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T15006A22009211.en. Accessed on 19 June 2022.
Parnaby, Harry E. (1988). Systematics of the Long-eared bat genus Nyctophilus. PhD thesis: School of Biological Sciences, University of New South Wales.
Parnaby, Harry E. (2009). A taxonomic review of Australian Greater Long-eared Bats previously known as Nyctophilus timoriensis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) and some associated taxa. Australian Zoologist 35(1): 39-81. https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2009.005
Parnaby, Harry E. and Hoye, G. A. (2023). Lord Howe Long-eared Bat, Nyctophilus howensis, pp. 643-644. In: Baker, Andrew M. and Gynther, Ian C. (eds.). Strahan’s Mammals of Australia (4th ed.). Wahroonga, NSW: Reed New Holland Publishers. 848 pp.
Richards, G. C. (1995). Lord Howe Island Bat, Nyctophilus howensis, pp. 506-507. In: Strahan, Ronald (ed.). The Mammals of Australia. Second Edition. Chatswood, N.S.W.: Reed Books. 756 pp.
Richards, G. C. 2008. Lord Howe Long-eared Bat Nyctophilus howensis. In The Mammals of Australia, 3rd edition, eds S. M. Van Dyck and R. Strahan, pp. 524. Sydney: New Holland.
Simmons, N.B. and A.L. Cirranello. 2023. Bat Species of the World: A taxonomic and geographic database. Version 1.3. Accessed on 06/18/2023.
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Woinarksi, John. (2013). Australian endangered species: Lord Howe Long-eared Bat. The Conversation, 14 November, available online: http://theconversation.com/australian-endangered-species-lord-howe-long-eared-bat-19977
Woinarski, John C. Z., Braby, M. F., Burbidge, A. A., Coates, D., Garnett, S. T., Fensham, R. J., Legge, S. M., McKenzie, N. L., Silcock, J L. and Murphy, B. P. (2019). Reading the black book: The number, timing, distribution and causes of listed extinctions in Australia. Biological Conservation 239: 108261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108261
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