Two north-western Queensland records of Gould's Long-eared Bat Nyctophilus gouldi (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) and evidence of cave roosting

[Extract] Gould's Long-eared bat Nycrophilus gouldi is widespread along the east coast of Australia from south-western Victoria to north-eastern Queensland (Pamaby 1986; Churchill 1998). The species is common throughout its range and is not considered rare or threatened in any of Australia's states and territories (Duncan et al. 1999). In his review of Nyctophilus species, Parnaby (1986) suggested that N. gouldi was likely more widespread in lower rainfall areas than previously realised. Young and Ford (2000) reported N. gouldi from central-western Queensland (Idalia National Park, 24°55'S, 144°45'E), indicating that it is distributed further inland than just mesic coastal forests along the Great Dividing Range. Similarly Gee (1999) reports a recent specimen for Gol Gol in western New South Wales (34°10'S, 142°13'E), albeit from,a citrus orchard. This note reports two further western records of N. gouldi in northern Queensland and identifies for [he first time the possibility of cave roosting. Two specimens of N. gOllldi were collected from harp traps during systematic survey of the Desert Uplands Bioregion (Kutt 2003). Both specimens were verified by lodgement with the Queensland Museum (QM). The first specimen (QM Voucher No. JM 12667) was recorded on 4 August 1999 at Fortuna Station, 100 km north of Aramac (22°46'38"S, 145°32'56"E). This adult male, weighing 6.6g with a forearm of 39.2mm, was in a patch of Lancewood Acacia shirleyi occurring in a mosaic with Silver-leaf Ironbark Eucalypus melanophloia open woodlands on deep yellow sands. Other species trapped at this site included N. geoffroyi, Scororepens greyii, Vespadelus baversrocki and V. finlaysoni, the latter two being predominantly arid-inland bat species (Churchill 1998)