New Guinea big-eared bat

New Guinea big-eared bat

Critically endangered, possibly extinct  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Pharotis
Thomas, 1914
Species: P. imogene
Binomial name
Pharotis imogene
Thomas, 1914

The New Guinea big-eared bat (Pharotis imogene) is a vesper bat endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to ongoing habitat loss.[1] It is the only known member of the genus Pharotis, which is closely related to Nyctophilus.

Previously, the species was believed to have been extinct since 1890, when it was last spotted. In 2012, researchers realised that a female bat collected near Kamali was a member of this species.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Bonaccorso et al., 2008
  2. Gates, Sara (4 June 2014). "Presumed Extinct Bat Found In Papua New Guinea After 120 Years". Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

Literature cited


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