Geographic Range
Until 1965,
Mystacina robusta
was only known to have existed on Big South Cape and Solomon Islands in New Zealand.
Subfossils in swamps and caves in the North and South Islands suggest its range was
much larger several hundred years ago (King, 1990). Several hundred bats of this
species occupied a cave at Puwai on Big South Cape Island until 1964-65. A couple
of larger caves on Solomon Island were occupied until the 1950's.
- Biogeographic Regions
- oceanic islands
- Other Geographic Terms
- island endemic
Habitat
Big South Cape Island, adjacent to Solomon Island, rises to 240 m. The shorelines
of both islands are rugged and contain numerous caves. The largest of these caves
is at Puwai on the south coast of Big South Cape. This cave was occupied by both
species of
Mystacina
until 1965 (Daniel and Baker, 1986). Individuals were also known to roost in seabird
burrows.
Mystacina robusta
individuals probably foraged in moist forest and muttonbird scrub (
Olearia
) habitats, as do their smaller relatives,
M. tuberculata
.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
- scrub forest
- Other Habitat Features
- caves
Physical Description
Mystacina robusta
was a medium-sized and extremely robust bat species. Average size is about one-third
larger than their congener, lesser short-tailed bats
Mystacina tuberculata
. Individuals had stocky bodies with prominent, pointed ears and nostrils and a
set of short whiskers. The short tail penetrated the tail membrane on its dorsal
surface. The hind legs and feet were very robust, positioned under the body for quadrupedal
locomotion on the ground. The fur was dark brown.
Mystacina robusta
was about 90 mm in total length, with a wingspan of about 290-310 mm. The tail measured
approximately 15 mm and the species was estimated to weigh 25-35 g (King, 1990).
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- heterothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Reproduction
Mystacina robusta
is thought to have been monogamous. Other information regarding their mating system
is not known. To attract females, males of the related species,
M. tuberculata
, fly to hollow trees and call with a repetitive, high-intensity noise which can be
heard by the human ear from a distance of 50 meters. Other details of the breeding
of
M. tuberculata
are not known.
- Mating System
- monogamous
Little is known about the reproduction of this species. They were thought to breed
once a year. The time of breeding is not known since this species of bat is thought
to have gone extinct about 40 years ago. J.A. Mackintosh found a juvenile specimen
on Solomon Island and also observed several nursery colonies with adolescents in hollow
rata trees and in the burrows of
sooty shearwaters
from late April to mid May of 1963-65 (Lloyd, 2001). This suggests that
M. robusta
had one young per year, born around April-May. This is approximately four or five
months later than the birth season of
Mystacina tuberculata
. The time of mating and details of the reproductive cycle are not known, although
mating by
M. tuberculata
occurs sometime between February and April.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
No information is available about the parental investment of Mystacina robusta . However, as in other bat species, females would have nursed and cared for their single offspring until they became independent.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Information on lifespan/longevity for Mystacina robusta is not available.
Behavior
Greater short-tailed bats emerged from their roosts about 1-2 hours after sunset.
They did not fly very fast, and did not manuever as rapidly as
little pied bats
, and generally they flew within 2-3 m of the ground. It has been suggested that
this species of bat did not fly higher because of the thousands of petrels and shearwaters
that were flying to their burrows during the breeding season. A close relative,
Mystacina tuberculata
also flies close to the ground; slow flight therefore appears to be characteristic
of the genus
Mystacina
(Daniel and Baker, 1986).
Home Range
Not much is known about the home range of
Mystacina robusta
, but its close relative,
Mystacina tuberculata
, does not venture much further than 500 m from its roosting site (Daniel and Baker,
1986).
Communication and Perception
Mystacina robusta
is thought to have gone extinct around 40 years ago. Therefore, no information is
known about how it communicated with other bats, or which senses were especially developed.
Vision is well developed in the close relative
Mystacina tuberculata
in order to see the flowers they sometimes feed on. This species also emits a repetitive,
high-frequency call that can be heard by the human ear from a distance of up to 50
meters. The hearing of
M. tuberculata
is also well developed for echolocation in order to locate prey. It is not known
how either species of
Mystacina
communicates with potential mates.
- Perception Channels
- visual
- tactile
- ultrasound
- echolocation
- chemical
Food Habits
It is not known what exactly the greater short-tailed bat ate. It is believed to
have eaten the same wide range of food as its close relative
Mystacina tuberculata
. These foods include ground and tree-trunk arthropods, fruit, nectar, and pollen.
An analysis done on the stomach contents of two greater short-tailed bats revealed
the presence of both rata pollen and fern spores (King, 1990). Both species of short-tailed
bats were partly carnivorous and ate fat and meat plucked off
muttonbirds
from time to time. It is also possible that
M. robusta
ate nestling birds.
- Primary Diet
- omnivore
- Animal Foods
- birds
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
- terrestrial worms
- Plant Foods
- fruit
- nectar
- pollen
- flowers
Predation
In previous times, some
Mystacina robusta
may have been killed by
laughing owls
in the North and South Islands.
Rattus exulans
is believed to have either caused or assisted the extinction of the greater short-tailed
bat in the North and South Islands, as well as Stewart Island. The final extinction
of
M. robusta
is believed to have been caused by
ship rats
in 1962 and 1963 when they were introduced accidentally on Big South Cape and Solomon
Islands (Dowding and Murphy, 19990.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Mystacina robusta does not play any role in the ecosystem of New Zealand because this species is thought to have been extinct for over 40 years. At one time, M. robusta probably played a role as an insectivore, a pollinator of flowers, and a disperser of seeds.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
- pollinates
- possibly Mystacinobia
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
It is not known if or how humans benefited from Mystacina robusta .
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse effects of Mystacina robusta on humans.
Conservation Status
It is not known if the effects of
ship rats
on these bats was the result of predation, competition for food, or continual disturbance
of roosting sites. Ship rats readily prey on bats in other areas. Several hundred
Mystacina
were reported in Puai Cave on Big South Cape, and regular sightings of flying bats
were made on both islands as well. In August 1964, the last confirmed
M. robusta
was collected from Big South Cape. By 1965, there were very few bats at all. J.A.
Mackintosh mist-netted the last confirmed
M. robusta
in 1965 on Solomon Island (Dowding and Murphy, 1999). By 1966, there were no bats
on either island.
Mystacina robusta
was listed as extinct by the IUCN Red List in 1990.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Brendan Boyes (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor, instructor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- oceanic islands
-
islands that are not part of continental shelf areas, they are not, and have never been, connected to a continental land mass, most typically these are volcanic islands.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- island endemic
-
animals that live only on an island or set of islands.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- scrub forest
-
scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- heterothermic
-
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- monogamous
-
Having one mate at a time.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- ultrasound
-
uses sound above the range of human hearing for either navigation or communication or both
- echolocation
-
The process by which an animal locates itself with respect to other animals and objects by emitting sound waves and sensing the pattern of the reflected sound waves.
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
References
Daniel, M., A. Baker. 1986. Collins Guide to Mammals of New Zealand . Auckland, New Zealand: William Collins Publishers Ltd..
Dowding, J., E. Murphy. 1994. Ecology of Ship Rats (Rattus rattus) in A Kauri (Agathis Australis) Forest in Northland, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology , 18: 19-28. Accessed March 20, 2006 at http://www.nzes.org.nz/nzje/free_issues/NZJEcol18_1_19.pdf .
King, C. 1990. The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals . Auckland, New Zealand: Oxford University Press.
Lloyd, B. 2001. Advances in New Zealand mammalogy 1990-2000: Short-tailed bats. Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand , 31: 59-81. Accessed March 22, 2006 at https://www.rsnz.org/publish/jrsnz/2001/6.php .
Roberts, J. 2005. Bats and Mankind. New Zealand Journal of Mammals , 23: 327-336.