Nyctimene robinsoni, Thomas, 1904

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 122-123

113.

Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat

Nyctimene robinsoni

French: Nyctimene du Queensland / German: Queensland-Réhrennasenflughund / Spanish: Nyctimeno de Queensland

Other common names: Eastern Tube-nosed Bat, Queensland Tube-nosed Bat

Taxonomy. Nyctimene robinson: Thomas, 1904 ,

“Cooktown, Queensland,” Australia.

Nyctimene robinsoni is currently in the cephalotes species group. Populations from New Guinea and Moa Island (Torres Strait) have generally been recognized as N. cephalotes , but they are tentatively included under N. robinson : until further research confirms their identity. Monotypic.

Distribution. NE & E Australia on E Queensland (including Moa, Prince of Wales, Hinchinbrook, Magnetic, Hummock Hill, and Fraser Is) and NE New South Wales, as well as some tentative records from NE, S & SE New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 83-93 mm, tail 21-24 mm, ear 15-8-19- 6 mm, forearm 65—-68- 9 mm; weight 42- 3-59 g. Head of the Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is broad, with deep face, broad, bluntly pointed ears, and tubular divergent nostrils (that are able to move independently of one another). Eyes are large, with amber irises. Pelage is thick and woolly. Dorsal pelage varies from gray to reddish brown, with distinctive thin dark brown mid-dorsal stripe stretching from head to rump. Ventral pelage is generally paler. Wings are dark brown, with irregular darker and yellow spots throughout (more spotting on digits). Ears are light yellowish brown, with some yellow or yellowish green spotting; nostrils can also have yellow blotching. Second digit of wing has a claw, and wing attaches at second digit of foot. Tail is short, black, and wrinkled, and narrow uropatagium connects at base and stretches to calcar at ankles. Claws are brown. Tongue has four circumvallate papillae (two large and two small), as in other sampled species of Nyctimene but unlike any other pteropodid genus (with three circumvallate papillae). The Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat has complex papillae arrangement and structure that corroborates it is an obligate frugivore. Skull and mandible are robust, rostrum is short, braincase is comparatively narrow, and sagittal and lambdoidal crests are moderately developed. Single lower incisor is completely deciduous, falling out before adulthood; lower molars are broad and rounded in dorsal view; C replaces incisors and is long and powerful; P, is elongated and longer than P, and P,; C' lacks secondary cusp; and there isnoe distinct notch on P,P, or M,.

Habitat. Tropical rainforests, preferring mature primary forest rather than secondary regrowth forest, subtropical forests, complex notophyll vine forests, and araucarian notophyll vine forests. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bats appear to favor streamside habitats in coastal rainforest and moist eucalypt forests with well-developed understories.

Food and Feeding. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bats are obligate frugivores and have specially adapted teeth and tongues with complex papillae for feeding on fruit. Foraging primarily occurs in understories and subcanopies. They feed on a variety of fruit and blossoms. They are most commonly seen feeding on fig species, including Ficus variegata , F. congesta, F. copiosa, F. nodosa, and F. watkinsiana ( Moraceae ); Eugenia and Syzygium (Myrtaceae) ; and Randia sessilis ( Rubiaceae ). In New South Wales, diets included Sloanea australis and S. woollsii (Elacocarpaceae); Castanospermum australe ( Fabaceae ); and Archontophoenix cunninghamiana (Arecaceae) . They have also been reported feeding on blossums of Pleiogynium timorense ( Anacardiaceae ), Elaeocarpus grandis (Elaeocarpaceae) , Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) and a number of non-native orchard plants, including Annona muricata (Annonaceae) and starfruit or carambola ( Averrhoa carambola, Oxalidaceae ). Females appeared to feed on soursop more than males in one study in Queensland, which might be because of higher protein and fat concentrations in fruit that are needed during pregnancy. They can be seen carrying fruit, which can be one-half their body weight, to night roosts. While hanging and eating fruit, they cradle it in their abdomen and use their long incisors and canines to puncture it to get to soft flesh. They reportedly do not consume seeds but spit them out after crushing fruit with their palate and tongue and chewing it up to isolate seeds. They are important seed dispersers for many plants. They also consume fruit on the spot.

Breeding. The Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is known to breed seasonally, and females giving birth to one young/year in October-December. Gestation lasts 3-3-5 months. Lactating females have pinkish color on ventral surface. Lactating period is long, although no precise estimates exist. Mothers carry young until they are almost able to fly.

Activity patterns. The Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is nocturnal, roosting in foliage during the day. Because of cryptic coloration on wings, it is well camouflaged in dense foliage where it roosts. Roosts are generally within 200 m of foraging sites. It is able to enter torpor to save energy by lowering body temperature by as much as 8°C, and it can exit torpor and elevate its metabolic rate within 20 seconds. Although it can enter torpor,it rarely does and seems to be very efficient in energy use, using very little energy when moving between roosting and foraging areas. Basal metabolic rate was measured at 54-7 ml O,/hour (similar to other Pteropodidae ), which is highly affected by ambient temperatures and decreases moderately during tropical winters, indicating very low thermoregulatory cost in winter. Average body temperature over 24 hours was 36°C and increased throughout the night, peakingjust before returning to the roost. Average body temperature seemed to change with lunar phase in one study, becoming higher in darker moon phases and lower in brighter moon phases, which generally matches other bat species. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bats are maneuverable in flight, which is unusual for bats ofits size. They are able to hover for several seconds and even change direction while hovering and holding fruit. This maneuverability might be due to their short broad wings. Although they do not echolocate, they make a distinctive whistling flight call and loud bleat-like calls according to some observations.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bats primarily roost alone, but they occasionally roost communally in small groups (and there is debate as to which is normal). Roosting sites change often because roosts are chosen opportunistically, but individuals usually remain in the same general small area for months or years. Some individuals roosted in the same tree that they had foraged in the night before. They are generally not aggressive toward one another unless one is holding food, and there is no evidence of territoriality. Individuals kept together in a small space in captivity were generally aggressive toward each other regardless of gender, but one male and one female seemed to get along and even roosted embracing each other. They generally seem to forage alone but have been observed in large congregations in some foraging locations at night.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat has a wide distribution and is generally considered common. Its distribution is rather patchy in the south, and its distribution in New Guineais still uncertain. There are no major threats overall, and they are a potential pest in fruit orchards in Australia. Barbed-wire fences are a minor source ofdirect mortality, and they might be affected by habitat loss from agricultural expansion. These problems have resulted in the Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat being listed as vulnerable by the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act.

Bibliography. Bhatnagar et al. (1986), Birt et al. (1997), Booth (2006), Churchill (2008), Colgan & Costa (2002), Felten (1958), Hall & Pettigrew (1995), Hall, Richards & Spencer (2008), Hall, Thomson, Bonaccorso & Leary (2008), Loveless & McBee (2017), Milledge (1987), Nellett (2007), O'Brien (1993), Richards (1986b), Riek et al. (2010), Schulz (1997a), Spencer & Fleming (1989), Stephan & Nelson (1981).

Figures

95. African Straw-colored Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum), 96. Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bat (Eidolon dupreanum), 98. Steadfast Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Paranyctimene tenax), 99. Broad-striped Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene aello), 100. Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene cyclotis), 101. Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene certans), 102. Happy Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene wrighiae), 103. Lesser Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene varius), 104. Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene albiventer), 105. Dragon Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene draconilla), 106. Demonic Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene masalai), 107. Malaita Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene malaitensis), 108. Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene vizcaccia), 109. Island Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene major), 110. Philippine Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene rabori), 111. Pallas’s Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene cephalotes), 112. Keast’s Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene keasti), 113. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene robinsont)

Distribution. NE & E Australia on E Queensland (including Moa, Prince of Wales, Hinchinbrook, Magnetic, Hummock Hill, and Fraser Is) and NE New South Wales, as well as some tentative records from NE, S & SE New Guinea .