| Golden-Tipped Bat | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Phoniscus |
| Species: | P. papuensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Phoniscus papuensis Dobson, 1878 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Kerivoula papuensis (Dobson, 1878) |
|
The Golden-Tipped Bat (Phoniscus papuensis) is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family. It has dark brown, curly fur with bright golden tips. The distinctively colored fur extends along the wings, legs and tail. It has a short, pointed, over-hanging muzzle and pointy, funnel-shaped ears. Adults weigh about 6 grams, and have a wingspan of about 25 cm.[1] It can be found in Australia, West Papua ( Indonesia), and Papua New Guinea.
The Golden-Tipped Bat is found in rain forest and adjacent sclerophyll forest. It roosts in abandoned hanging Yellow-throated Scrubwren and Brown Gerygone nests located in rainforest gullies on small first and second order streams. It will fly up to two km from roosts to forage in rainforest and sclerophyll forest on upper-slopes. It is a specialist feeder on small web-building spiders. [1]
The nests of the Yellow-throated Scrubwren appear to be the preferred daytime roosting sites.[2]