List of bats of Australia

This is the list of bats of Australia,^[1][2][3] a sub-list of the list of mammals of Australia. About 81 bat species are known to occur in Australia, Lord Howe and Christmas Island.^[4] This list principally follows the authoritative references, the Australian Faunal Directory^[5] and Churchill (2008).^[3]

Bats are all of the order Chiroptera.

Each listing includes the conservation status of the animal, following the information set out by the IUCN Red List (v. 2024-2; as at 24 December 2024).^[6] The conservation categories are:^[7]

• EX – Extinct;
• EW – Extinct in the wild;
• CR – Critically endangered;
• EN – Endangered;
• VU – Vulnerable;
• NT – Near threatened;
• LC – Least concern;
• DD – Data deficient;
• NE – Not evaluated.

Microchiroptera (microbats)

Emballonuridae

Saccolaimus

• Yellow-bellied sheathtail bat, S. flaviventris. Endemic species with a wide distribution in mainland Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Papuan sheath-tailed bat, S. mixtus. Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea. Also called the Cape-York sheath-tailed bat. NT ^IUCN
• Bare-rumped sheath-tailed bat, S. saccolaimus. Northern Australia; South East Asia to India. Also called the naked-rumped sheathtail bat. LC ^IUCN
  • S. s. nudicluniatus.
  • S. s. saccolaimus.

Taphozous

• Coastal sheath-tailed bat, T. australis. East coast of Queensland and the Torres Stait; recorded a few times in New Guinea. NT ^IUCN
• Common sheath-tailed bat, T. georgianus. Endemic, north-western Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Hill's sheath-tailed bat, T. hilli. Endemic, central inland Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Arnhem sheath-tailed bat, T. kapalgensis. Endemic, Top End of the Northern Territory. LC ^IUCN
• Troughton's sheath-tailed bat, T. troughtoni. Endemic, central and north-eastern Queensland. LC ^IUCN

Miniopteridae

Miniopterus

• Little bent-wing bat, M. australis. East coast; New Guinea and Indonesia. LC ^IUCN
• Northern bentwing bat, M. orianae. Northern and eastern Australia. Also called the Australasian bent-wing bat. NE
  • Southern bent-winged bat, M. o. bassanii. South-western Victoria.
  • Eastern bent-winged bat, M. o. oceanensis. Eastern Australia, along the entire coast.
  • Northern bent-winged bat, M. o. orianae. Top End of Northern Territory.

Molossidae

Austronomus

• White-striped freetail bat, A. australis. Endemic, entire mainland Australia. LC ^IUCN

Chaerephon or Mops

• Great Northern free-tailed bat, C. jobensis. Northern Australia; Indonesia and New Guinea. Also called the northern mastiff bat or the Greater Northern free-tailed bat. LC ^IUCN
  • C. j. colonicus.

Micronomus

• Eastern free-tailed bat, M. norfolkensis. East coast, from Brisbane to Bega. Also called the East-coast free-tailed bat or the Eastern little mastiff bat. NT ^IUCN

Ozimops

• North-western free-tailed bat, O. cobourgianus. Endemic, northern coast and north-western coast. Also called the northern coastal free-tailed bat. LC ^IUCN
• Cape York free-tailed bat, O. halli. Endemic, Cape York and the Northern Gulf. DD ^IUCN
• South-western free-tailed bat, O. kitcheneri. Endemic, south-western Western Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Northern free-tailed bat, O. lumsdenae. Endemic, widespread across the northern half of Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Inland free-tailed bat, O. petersi. Endemic, widespread across the arid inland of Australia. LC ^IUCN
• South-eastern free-tailed bat, O. planiceps. Endemic, south-eastern Australia, particularly the Western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. LC ^IUCN
• Ride's free-tailed bat, O. ridei. Widespread across eastern Australian coasts. LC ^IUCN

Setirostris

• Hairy-nosed freetail bat, S. eleryi. Endemic, eastern and central Australia. Also called the bristle-faced free-tailed bat. Treated as endangered under New South Wales law.^[8] NT ^IUCN

Vespertilionidae (vesper bats)

Kerivoulinae

Phoniscus

• Golden-tipped bat, P. papuensis. Eastern and north-eastern coast; New Guinea. VU ^IUCN

Murininae

Murina

• Flute-nosed bat, M. florium. Eastern Cape York; New Guinea and Indonesia. Also called the tube-nosed bat and the tube-nosed insectivorous bat. LC ^IUCN
  • Flute-nosed bat, M. f. florium. Not known by the other names.

Nyctophilinae

Nyctophilus

• Arnhem long-eared bat, N. arnhemensis. Northern and north-western coasts. LC ^IUCN
• Eastern long-eared bat, N. bifax. Northern, eastern and western coasts. LC ^IUCN
• Corben's long-eared bat, N. corbeni. Endemic, eastern to south-eastern Australia. VU ^IUCN
• Pallid long-eared bat, N. daedalus. Endemic, northern-most coast and the Northern Gulf. LC ^IUCN
• Lesser long-eared bat, N. geoffroyi. Widespread across the entirety of Australia, including Tasmania. LC ^IUCN
  • N. g. geoffroyi. Widespread across the entirety of Western Australia.
  • N. g. pacificus. Widespread across the entire eastern portion of Australia.
  • N. g. pallescens. Inland South Australia.
• Gould's long-eared bat, N. gouldi. Widespread across the eastern coasts of Australia, present in the south-western-most coasts. LC ^IUCN
• Holts' long-eared bat, N. holtorum. Endemic, south-western-most coast. LC ^IUCN
• Lord Howe long-eared bat, N. howensis. Previously endemic to Lord Howe Island. EX ^IUCN
• Greater long-eared bat, N. major. Widespread across western, southern and inland-eastern Australia. Also called the central long-eared bat and the western long-eared bat. LC ^IUCN
  • N. m. major. Endemic, south-western-most coast.
  • N. m. tor. Endemic, south-western to southern Australia, coastal and inland.
• Tasmanian long-eared bat, N. sherrini. Northern and eastern Tasmania. VU ^IUCN
• Pygmy long-eared bat, N. walkeri. Northern coasts of Australia and the Northern Gulf. LC ^IUCN
• Other uncertain species, Incertae sedis.^[9]

Vespertilioninae

Chalinolobus

• Large-eared pied bat, C. dwyeri. Inland eastern Australia. Also called the large pied bat. Treated as endangered under New South Wales law.^[8] VU ^IUCN
• Gould's wattled bat, C. gouldii. Widespread across Australia, including the Kangaroo Island and Norfolk Island, excluding Cape York. LC ^IUCN
• Chocolate wattled bat, C. morio. Widespread across southern Australia and the eastern coast; some presence in central Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Hoary wattled bat, C. nigrogriseus. Northern and north-eastern coast; New Guinea. LC ^IUCN
  • C. n. nigrogriseus. Northern and eastern Queensland.
  • C. n. rogersi. Northern and north-eastern coast.
• Little pied bat, C. picatus. Inland eastern Australia. NT ^IUCN

Falsistrellus

• Western false pipistrelle, F. mackenziei. South-western-most coast. NT ^IUCN
• Eastern false pipistrelle, F. tasmaniensis. Eastern to south-eastern coast of Australia, and northern and eastern coast of Tasmania. VU ^IUCN

Myotis (mouse-eared bats)

• Large footed myotis, M. macropus. Eastern coasts from the south-eastern edge to Cape York and the south-eastern coast and inland; most of Victoria. LC ^IUCN

Pipistrellus

• Forest pipistrelle, P. adamsi. Northern-most region of Australia. Also called the Cape York pipistrelle. LC ^IUCN
• Christmas Island pipistrelle, P. murrayi. Previously endemic to a small, eastern section of Christmas Island. EX ^IUCN
• Northern pipistrelle, P. westralis. Some northern coasts and the Northern Gulf. LC ^IUCN

Scoteanax

• Greater broad-nosed bat, S. rueppellii. Eastern coast. LC ^IUCN

Scotorepens

• Inland broad-nosed bat, S. balstoni. Widespread across the entirety of inland Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Little broad-nosed bat, S. greyii. Widespread across the entirety of inland Australia except the southern-most portions. LC ^IUCN
• Eastern broad-nosed bat, S. orion. Eastern coasts, particularly the south-eastern coasts, but can be found in the eastern coast of Cape York. Also called the south-eastern broad-nosed bat. LC ^IUCN
• Northern broad-nosed bat, S. sanborni. Scattered across the northern coasts, more widespread in the northern to north-eastern coast of Queensland; New Guinea and Indonesia. LC ^IUCN

Vespadelus

• Inland forest bat, V. baverstocki. Widespread across inland Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Northern cave bat, V. caurinus. Northern coasts of Northern Territory and Western Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Large forest bat, V. darlingtoni. Eastern to south-eastern coasts and the entirety of Tasmania. LC ^IUCN
• Yellow-lipped bat, V. douglasorum. Northern-most coasts of Western Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Finlayson's cave bat, V. finlaysoni. Widespread across the inland portion of Australia, as well as the northern-most coast and the western coasts. LC ^IUCN
• Eastern forest bat, V. pumilus. Eastern-most coasts of Queensland and northern coasts of New South Wales. LC ^IUCN
• Southern forest bat, V. regulus. Southern Australia, particularly around the coasts. LC ^IUCN
• Eastern cave bat, V. troughtoni. Eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. LC ^IUCN
• Little forest bat, V. vulturnus. Widespread across south-eastern Australia, including most of New South Wales and all of Victoria but excluding Tasmania. LC ^IUCN

Yinpterochiroptera

Hipposideridae

Hipposideros

• Dusky leaf-nosed bat, H. ater. Northern coasts. LC ^IUCN
  • H. a. aruensis. Northern Queensland.
  • H. a. gilberti. Top End of Northern Territory and northern-most Western Australia.
• Fawn leaf-nosed bat, H. cervinus. North-eastern tip of Cape York Peninsula; Indonesia and New Guinea. LC ^IUCN
  • H. c. cervinus.
• Diadem leaf-nosed bat, H. diadema. North-eastern tip of Cape York Peninsula; widespread across Indonesia; New Guinea, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand. LC ^IUCN
  • H. d. reginae.
• Arnhem leaf-nosed bat, H. inornatus. Northern-most tip of Northern Australia. VU ^IUCN
• Semon's leaf-nosed bat, H. semoni. North-eastern tip of Cape York and Queensland. LC ^IUCN
• Northern leaf-nosed bat, H. stenotis. Northern coasts of Australia. VU ^IUCN

Megadermatidae (false vampires)

Macroderma

• Ghost bat, M. gigas. Across the northern coasts of Australia. VU ^IUCN

Rhinolophidae

Rhinolophus

• Eastern horseshoe bat, R. megaphyllus. Entire eastern coast of Australia and the southern coast of Victoria. LC ^IUCN
  • R. m. ignifer. Cape York Peninsula.
  • R. m. megaphyllus. East coasts of New South Wales and Victoria.
• R. robertsi. Endemic. Cape York Peninsula.

Rhinonycteridae

Rhinonicteris

• R. aurantia. North-most coasts excluding Cape York. LC ^IUCN

Pteropodidae

Harpyionycterinae

Dobsonia

• Bare-backed fruit bat, D. magna. North-eastern Cape York Peninsula; Melanesia. LC ^IUCN

Macroglossusinae

Macroglossus

• Northern blossom-bat, M. minimus. Northern Australia. Also called the dagger-toothed long-nosed fruit bat. LC ^IUCN
  • M. m. pygmaeus.

Syconycteris

• Common blossom bat, S. australis. Eastern and north-eastern coasts. Also called the eastern blossom bat. LC ^IUCN
  • S. a. australis.

Nyctimeninae

Nyctimene

• Eastern tube-nosed bat, N. robinsini. Possibly endemic. Eastern to north-eastern coast. LC ^IUCN

Pteropodinae

Pteropus

Black flying fox

• Black flying fox, P. alecto. Widespread across Western Australia and the northern, north-eastern and eastern coasts. LC ^IUCN
  • P. a. gouldii. The coastal regions of the above.
• Percy Island flying fox, P. brunneus. Previously in a north-eastern part of Queensland. EX ^IUCN
• Spectacled flying fox, P. conspicillatus. Eastern coast of Queensland. EN ^IUCN
  • P. c. conspicillatus. North-eastern tip of Cape York Peninsula.
• Large-eared flying-fox, P. macrotis. Presence in Australia is controversial. May be located in the Torres Strait Islands. LC ^IUCN
  • P. m. epularius.

    

    Spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus)

• Christmas Island flying fox, P. natalis. Endemic to Christmas Island. Due to controversial taxonomic status, IUCN has not yet recognised this animal as a separate species. If it were recognised as an individual species by IUCN, its status would be CE ^IUCN[10]
• Grey-headed flying fox, P. poliocephalus. Eastern and south-eastern coast. VU ^IUCN
• Little red flying fox, P. scapulatus. Widespread throughout the northern portion of Australia. LC ^IUCN
• Large-eared horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus robertsi - northeast Queensland.

See also

• Fauna of Australia