Flores Tube-nosed Bat (Murina florium)

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

A species-specific breeding calendar is not available. Records in the supplied study include captures in October, December, April and June, and repeated captures in December, so the bat may be present across much of the year in suitable Queensland habitat.

Seasonal ratings are based on the limited records supplied and should be updated with project-specific survey results.

• Documented captures: The study reports captures or sampling records in April, June, October and December, with repeated December captures. These records are not evidence of a population peak.
• Highest clearing risk: Apply a year-round risk rating because the species is recorded across multiple months and its breeding and dependent-young periods are unknown. Increase controls where surveys detect repeated use or reproductive animals.

Identification

This is a small, poorly known tube-nosed bat in the family Vespertilionidae. Reliable field identification generally requires a close view or a captured animal, because the available documents provide little information on external measurements, body mass or echolocation calls.

The genus Murina is characterised by distinctive nostrils that diverge laterally, giving the muzzle a tube-nosed or flute-nosed appearance. Murina florium is the only Murina species recorded as established in Australia in the cited review, although a separate specimen from Iron Range may represent another species.

Identification: Size and sex

The supplied sources do not provide body length, wingspan, forearm length or weight for M. florium. They report fewer than 80 specimens known across the species' wider range at the time of the study, and do not identify reliable differences between males and females.

Body measurements: Not provided in the supplied documents

Body mass: Not provided in the supplied documents

Sex differences: No reliable field differences are provided

Identification: Field signs and similar species

The laterally diverging nostrils are the main distinguishing feature described in the sources. The documents do not provide diagnostic tracks, scats, calls, eyeshine, roost signs or a comparison key for separating this species from other small insectivorous bats.

• Treat any suspected record as requiring confirmation by an appropriately experienced bat ecologist.
• Do not rely on a visual observation in flight alone for species-level identification.
• Use the approved survey and handling procedures for threatened bats where capture or harp trapping is proposed.

Distribution: Australian range

In Australia, the species is restricted to north-eastern Queensland. Records span much of the Wet Tropics region, but they are scattered and the species remains poorly known.

Known Australian records occur in the Wet Tropics bioregion and immediately adjoining areas of north-eastern Queensland. The cited localities extend from Mt Carbine Tablelands in the north to Wallaman Falls and Mt Zero Holding in the Paluma Range in the south.

Australian state: Queensland only

Bioregion: Wet Tropics and immediately adjacent areas

Recorded elevation range: 260 to 1,300 metres

• Documented localities include Mt Baldy State Forest, Mt Hypipamee National Park, Shipton's Flat, Cedar Bay National Park, Lamb Range State Forest, Koombooloomba State Forest, Mt Carbine Tablelands, Wallaman Falls and Mt Zero Holding.
• The southern records at Wallaman Falls and Mt Zero Holding extended the previously known range by approximately 150 kilometres across the Herbert River discontinuity.

Distribution: Strongholds and population status

The known distribution has a core in the Atherton Tablelands, with more scattered records to the north and south. Multiple captures were reported from Mt Baldy State Forest and Koombooloomba Creek in Koombooloomba State Forest, while many other localities were represented by single records or small numbers of animals.

Known specimens across the wider range at the time of the review: Fewer than 80

Population estimate: Not available

Population trend: Not known

• The study described the species as poorly known and recorded from only 11 localities used in its distribution analysis.
• The supplied documents do not provide a population estimate, density, generation length or confirmed population trend.
• Absence from unsurveyed or lightly surveyed habitat should not be treated as evidence of absence, because the species has been detected infrequently despite harp trapping and mist-netting studies.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Recorded habitat includes upland rainforest, lowland rainforest and at least some non-rainforest vegetation. Capture sites range from 260 to 1,300 metres, with the strongest documented association being with humid forest in the Wet Tropics.

Recorded vegetation includes simple microphyll vine-fern forest, complex notophyll vine forest and gallery forest. One locality was in open forest with Eucalyptus tessellaris, showing that the species is not confined to closed upland rainforest.

• Assess rainforest remnants, gallery forest, vine forest, vine-fern forest and adjoining open forest where they occur within the Queensland range.
• Retain connected vegetation between forest patches, including riparian and ecotonal vegetation where practicable.
• Treat small areas of suitable-looking habitat as potential habitat even where the surrounding site is not continuous rainforest.

Habitat: Structure and environmental limits

Known sites were distributed from lowland localities at about 260 to 271 metres to upland sites at 1,080 to 1,300 metres. The distribution model identified upland Wet Tropics areas as the main predicted habitat, with smaller suitable areas in low-altitude areas around the Bloomfield Lowlands, McAlister Foothills and sites near Cairns.

Lowest reported capture elevation: 260 metres

Highest reported capture elevation: 1,300 metres

Upland habitat examples: Simple microphyll vine-fern forest and complex notophyll vine forest

Lowland habitat examples: Gallery forest, lowland rainforest and open forest

• Map canopy cover, mature trees, vine and fern structure, gullies, drainage lines and ecotones before clearing.
• Do not exclude potential habitat solely because a site is below 300 metres, because the species has been recorded in lowland rainforest and gallery forest.
• Interpret modelled habitat gaps cautiously, because the study identified sampling bias and model limitations in lowland areas.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding habitat

Murina florium is an insectivorous bat. The supplied documents provide no prey list, feeding height, nightly foraging distance or quantified home range.

The species is described as a tube-nosed insect bat, and its diet is therefore insects. The cited study discusses distribution, broad habitat, roosting and ecomorphology, but the supplied text does not give prey identities or measurements of foraging range.

Food: Invertebrates, reported generally as insects

Foraging range: Not quantified in the supplied documents

Foraging height: Not provided

• Retain structurally diverse forest around capture sites, including canopy, understorey, forest edges, gullies and riparian vegetation.
• Avoid unnecessary night lighting near retained vegetation, because artificial light can alter insect availability and bat movements even where species-specific responses are unknown.
• Keep pesticide use away from retained bat habitat and drainage lines unless no practical alternative exists.

Foraging habitat: Site assessment

Because the species has been recorded in both rainforest and non-rainforest habitat, surveys should cover the full range of forest types on a project site rather than sampling only the most closed rainforest.

• Place survey effort in upland and lowland forest, riparian corridors, ecotones and likely flight paths where these habitats occur.
• Use the current Australian Government survey guidance when designing bat surveys, selecting equipment and interpreting results.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The supplied documents do not report the breeding season, litter size, gestation, age at maturity or lifespan of Murina florium. Breeding habitat should therefore be assessed using the species' recorded forest habitats and the roosting information available from targeted surveys.

No species-specific breeding observations or reproductive measurements are provided in the supplied documents. The cited records include both females and multiple captured individuals, but do not establish a breeding colony, birth period or maternity roost.

Breeding season: Not known from the supplied documents

Litter size: Not provided

Gestation: Not provided

Age at maturity: Not provided

Lifespan: Not provided

• Treat all suitable forest habitat as potentially important during clearing because the timing and location of reproduction are unresolved.
• Obtain specialist advice before disturbing suspected roosts, particularly where several individuals are captured or repeatedly detected.

Breeding habitat: Habitat needed for breeding

The documents do not identify maternity roosts or breeding colonies. Recorded sites include upland vine-fern and vine forest, lowland rainforest, gallery forest and adjacent open forest, so these habitats should be retained and checked where project works may remove roosting or commuting structure.

• Prioritise retention of connected forest, mature vegetation, sheltered gullies and riparian corridors around confirmed or suspected records.
• Schedule any unavoidable disturbance outside periods identified by project-specific surveys as showing pregnant, lactating or dependent animals.

Sheltering habitat: Known and possible refuges

The species' roosting ecology is poorly documented in the supplied material. The cited research refers to roost selection and leaf-wrapping behaviour, but the extract does not provide roost dimensions, tree species, hollow sizes or confirmed maternity-roost locations.

The sources do not document a fixed cave, tree hollow, nest or burrow used by M. florium. They refer to roost selection and a report of leaf-wrapping behaviour, indicating that shelter may include concealed foliage, but the supplied documents do not establish the frequency or importance of this behaviour.

Confirmed roost type: Not identified in the supplied documents

Roost dimensions: Not provided

Reported behaviour: Leaf-wrapping behaviour has been reported, but details are not supplied

• Inspect retained foliage, dense understorey, vine tangles, tree hollows, loose bark and other sheltered structures before clearing where the species has been recorded or suitable habitat is present.
• Do not assume that the absence of obvious hollows excludes roosting habitat.
• Use harp trapping and other survey methods only under the current threatened-bat survey guidance and with appropriate animal ethics and permits.

Sheltering habitat: Project controls

Repeated captures at the same site may indicate habitat used regularly, even where the roost itself is not located. The species was recorded repeatedly at Mt Baldy State Forest and at Koombooloomba Creek during multiple sampling periods.

• Retain vegetation around repeated capture locations and along connecting gullies or drainage lines.
• Limit night works, lighting, vibration and removal of dense vegetation near confirmed records until a site-specific assessment is complete.
• Have a fauna spotter catcher's response plan for any bat found during clearing, noting that species-level identification may require an experienced bat ecologist.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The Queensland Vulnerable listing, few records and limited ecological knowledge require a precautionary approach on project sites. The supplied documents identify habitat distribution and sampling limitations but do not quantify the effect of individual threats.

Clearing rainforest, gallery forest, vine forest, vine-fern forest or associated open forest can remove feeding, commuting and potential roosting habitat. Fragmentation may reduce connectivity between the scattered localities that characterise the known range.

• Avoid clearing confirmed habitat where practicable and retain continuous vegetation along gullies, drainage lines and forest edges.
• Minimise the width of linear clearings and progressively rehabilitate temporary access areas with locally appropriate native vegetation.
• Survey both sides of proposed roads, pipelines and transmission corridors because the species' records extend across a broad north to south section of the Wet Tropics.

Threats: Fire, roads and disturbance

The supplied documents do not quantify the species' response to fire, roads, traffic or construction noise. Fire or clearing that simplifies rainforest structure may reduce the habitat features used by this poorly known bat, while roads and night lighting may interrupt movement or alter insect activity.

• Prevent construction fire from entering retained rainforest, gallery forest and vine-fern habitat.
• Keep night lighting directed away from retained vegetation and avoid unnecessary illumination of riparian corridors.
• Inspect road and construction work areas for roosting bats before vegetation removal and manage any fauna encountered under the project procedure.

Threats: Predators, disease and hydrology

The supplied documents do not identify species-specific effects of predators, disease or hydrology change. Altering drainage, clearing riparian vegetation or changing fire and moisture conditions may nevertheless reduce the quality of forest habitat used by insectivorous bats.

• Maintain natural drainage and avoid sedimentation or persistent drying of gallery forest and gullies.
• Retain riparian vegetation and ground cover around waterways within or adjoining known habitat.
• Record and report any injured or dead bats, unusual mortality or suspected disease to the relevant wildlife authority and project ecologist.

Survey methodology: 1. Review habitat and records

Murina florium is difficult to detect and is known from few records despite intensive harp trapping and mist netting. Survey design should account for its use of upland rainforest, lowland rainforest and some non-rainforest habitat in north-eastern Queensland.

Check mapped and ground-truthed habitat before selecting survey points. Known Australian records range from 260 to 1,300 metres elevation and include simple microphyll vine-fern forest, complex notophyll vine forest, gallery forest and some open forest and non-rainforest sites.

Treat apparently unsuitable areas cautiously. The species has been recorded across much of the Wet Tropics, including areas separated by the Herbert River discontinuity, and modelled gaps in lowland areas may reflect limited sampling rather than confirmed absence.

Known Australian elevation range in the study: 260 to 1,300 metres

Known localities used in the study: 11 localities

• Search project records and nearby museum, wildlife database and government records before finalising the survey design.
• Map retained rainforest, gallery forest, vine-fern vegetation, riparian corridors and adjoining non-rainforest vegetation that could provide movement routes or foraging habitat.

Survey methodology: 2. Harp trapping

Use harp traps as a primary method where access, animal welfare controls and approvals allow. The published Queensland work recorded M. florium during intensive harp-trapping studies, including repeated sampling periods at Mt Baldy State Forest and Koombooloomba State Forest.

Place traps across likely flight paths within or beside suitable vegetation, including rainforest edges, narrow forest gaps and riparian corridors. The supplied guideline extract identifies the species but does not include a species-specific trap number, trap-night total or seasonal schedule.

Published capture methods: Harp trapping and mist netting

Published repeated sampling example: Mt Baldy State Forest was sampled in December 1994 and 1995, April 1996 and June 1996

• Set the number of traps, trap nights, checking frequency and weather limits from the current Australian threatened-bat survey guideline and the project approval conditions.
• Record trap location, habitat, elevation, date, start and finish time, weather, trap effort, captures and any equipment failures.
• Do not use a zero-capture result as proof that the species is absent, because it has a sparse recorded distribution and has been missed during extensive surveys.

Survey methodology: 3. Mist netting and targeted follow-up

Mist netting has also been used in Queensland surveys, but the supplied material does not provide a species-specific net layout, net hours or minimum effort. Use it only where the current guideline and animal ethics and wildlife permit requirements support its use.

Target follow-up at sites with suitable vegetation, previous records, likely flight routes or proposed clearing of connected habitat. Include both upland and lower-elevation habitat where present, rather than restricting the survey to upland rainforest.

• Conduct bat surveys during suitable weather and follow the current guideline limits for wind, rain, temperature, moonlight and survey duration.
• Use experienced bat personnel who can identify Murina captures and distinguish the species from other vespertilionid bats.
• Photograph or otherwise document diagnostic features and retain appropriate evidence under permit where identification cannot be confirmed in the field.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

• Use the current Australian Government survey guideline to set the minimum survey timing, methods and effort because the supplied extract does not reproduce the species-specific effort table.
• Obtain the required Queensland wildlife, animal ethics, access and handling approvals before trapping or mist netting.
• Report all captures, call or other observations, non-detections, trap effort, weather and habitat conditions in the technical report.
• Submit confirmed records and appropriate evidence to the relevant Queensland wildlife database and the relevant Australian biodiversity database.
• Report the survey limitations, including inaccessible habitat, unsuitable weather, incomplete effort and the possibility of false absence.
• Retain raw coordinates, photographs, field sheets, trap logs and animal handling records with the project file.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan around the species' low detectability and its association with rainforest and connected forest habitats. The published records include upland and lowland sites, so clearing assessments should not rely on a simple elevation cut-off.

Retain rainforest, gallery forest, vine-fern vegetation, riparian vegetation and connected forest corridors wherever practicable. Known sites include simple microphyll vine-fern forest at about 1,080 to 1,300 metres and lowland sites at about 260 to 271 metres.

Avoid creating isolated retained patches where a connected alternative can be retained. The species' known distribution extends across the Wet Tropics and includes records south of the Herbert River discontinuity.

• Keep the construction footprint, access tracks, stockpiles, lighting and night works out of retained habitat where practicable.
• Retain mature trees, dense understorey, fallen timber and damp forest structure unless a competent ecologist determines that removal is necessary and approved.
• Design crossings, temporary access and drainage works to maintain vegetation links between retained forest areas.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work plan

Confirm the current conservation status, permit requirements and referral obligations before works start. The supplied profile states that the species is not listed under the EPBC Act and is listed as Vulnerable in Queensland, but status and legal requirements must be checked against current registers and project-specific advice.

Prepare a fauna management plan that sets survey, pre-clearance, clearing, handling, stop-work, rehabilitation and reporting requirements.

• Seek advice on a possible EPBC referral if the national listing or project circumstances change, and obtain Queensland approvals for any capture, handling, release or disturbance of protected fauna.
• Stage clearing so retained habitat and escape routes remain available while each work area is inspected and cleared.
• Schedule noisy or night works to avoid trapping and to prevent machinery operating through active survey areas unless the fauna management plan allows it.
• Nominate the ecologist, fauna spotter catcher, project environmental officer, veterinarian and wildlife carer contacts before mobilisation.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

Complete a pre-clearance survey immediately before clearing, using the approved bat methods and a ground inspection of habitat features. A pre-clearance inspection is particularly important because the species can occur in non-rainforest habitat and is difficult to detect.

Mark the approved clearing boundary, retained vegetation, movement corridors and any habitat features requiring staged removal or protection.

• Install exclusion fencing where it can direct animals away from machinery without blocking access to retained forest or trapping fauna in the work area.
• Brief all operators on the species profile, exclusion zones, stop-work triggers and the requirement to follow the fauna spotter catcher's directions.
• Inspect temporary buildings, culverts, pipes, machinery, stacked materials and vegetation before disturbance because bats may use concealed roosting places.
• Confirm a suitable nearby release area within retained habitat before any capture occurs.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

The fauna spotter catcher should control the sequence of clearing, not simply attend after machinery has started. Work must stop whenever a bat, possible roost or unsafe fauna handling situation is identified.

Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the approved footprint, retained habitat, weather, planned clearing sequence and contact arrangements.

Keep the fauna spotter catcher in direct communication with the machine operator and ensure the operator can see or immediately stop on instruction.

Clear progressively in small sections, allowing the spotter catcher to inspect each section before the next section is disturbed.

• Maintain exclusion zones around retained vegetation and any feature awaiting inspection.
• Stop machinery immediately on the spotter catcher's instruction, even if the animal has not yet been positively identified.
• Do not resume until the spotter catcher confirms that the animal has moved, has been safely captured or has been released from the work area and the site is safe.
• Prevent workers from chasing, cornering, touching or photographing the animal at close range.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling

Inspect hollow-bearing trees, loose bark, dense vine-fern vegetation, logs, rock piles, culverts and other concealed structures before removal. The supplied sources do not identify a specific roost-tree diameter, hollow size or required nest-box design for M. florium.

Use staged habitat removal where a feature could contain a bat. Retain the feature if practicable and avoid dropping or crushing it before inspection.

• Leave inspected habitat features undisturbed until the authorised fauna handler has completed the required check.
• Lower or dismantle potential roost features carefully where the approved fauna management plan requires removal and where this can be done safely.
• Do not fill cavities, drains or culverts until they have been checked for fauna.
• Do not assume that removal of rainforest alone removes risk, because the species has been recorded in non-rainforest habitat.

During habitat disturbance: If a bat is found

Only an appropriately authorised and trained person should capture, handle or release the bat. Murina florium is a listed Queensland species according to the supplied profile, so handling must comply with current Queensland requirements.

Keep the animal quiet, shaded and cool while awaiting assessment. Minimise handling time and do not attempt identification by repeated manipulation.

• Stop work in the immediate area and establish a quiet exclusion zone.
• Record the location, time, habitat, condition, photographs, handler and action taken.
• Release a healthy animal only at the pre-approved nearby retained habitat and in accordance with the permit and fauna management plan.
• Place an injured, grounded or compromised animal in an appropriate ventilated container and contact the nominated veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer immediately.
• Do not give food or water unless directed by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer.
• Escalate any suspected mortality, repeated bat presence, roost discovery, injury, unauthorised handling or breach of the clearing boundary to the project environmental officer and relevant wildlife authority.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work records

Maintain a daily fauna register for searches, captures, releases, injuries, deaths, habitat features inspected and directions given to machinery operators. The low number of known records means each reliable observation has value for future assessment.

• Stop work if a bat is found, if a potential roost cannot be inspected safely, if exclusion fencing directs fauna into the work area, or if weather and site conditions make the approved controls ineffective.
• Attach coordinates, photographs, species confidence, effort and habitat notes to each record.
• Provide incident and fauna records to the project environmental officer before the end of each shift or sooner for an injury, mortality or compliance event.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that the approved footprint was followed, that no fauna remains trapped and that retained habitat controls are functioning. Monitoring should be proportionate to the risk and set out in the fauna management plan.

Inspect the cleared area, retained vegetation edges, exclusion fencing, temporary structures, culverts, stockpiles and machinery after each clearing stage.

Check for injured or trapped fauna and for damage to retained rainforest, gallery forest, riparian vegetation and movement corridors.

• Complete a final fauna sweep before removing fencing or closing the work area.
• Record the date, personnel, area checked, features inspected, findings and corrective actions.
• Repair damaged exclusion fencing and remove materials that could trap bats or block movement between retained habitat patches.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Where the project removes or fragments known or predicted habitat, use the approved monitoring plan to check retained habitat and rehabilitation areas over time. The supplied sources do not provide a species-specific post-clearance monitoring duration or success threshold.

Compare monitoring results with pre-clearance effort and conditions, rather than treating different survey effort as a population trend.

• Repeat approved bat surveys when monitoring is required, using the same methods and comparable survey conditions where practicable.
• Report confirmed records, mortalities, injuries, unexpected habitat use and control failures to the relevant Queensland authority and biodiversity database where required.
• Keep fauna management controls in place for the period specified in approvals and the fauna management plan.
• Apply any approved offset, compensatory habitat or conservation measure if residual impacts remain after avoidance and minimisation.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore connected, structurally diverse forest rather than only replacing canopy cover. The species has been recorded in several vegetation types and may move through non-rainforest areas, so planting and site design should reflect the surrounding Wet Tropics vegetation.

Use locally appropriate native rainforest and riparian plant species selected from the pre-clearing vegetation community and approved by the restoration ecologist. The supplied sources identify vegetation types but do not provide a planting list for M. florium.

Re-establish continuous or stepping-stone vegetation between retained forest patches, including along drainage lines and other existing forest connections.

Retain or reinstate fallen timber, coarse woody debris and dense understorey where safe and compatible with fire and maintenance requirements.

• Control weeds so planted and naturally regenerating native vegetation can develop a closed, structurally varied understorey.
• Prevent livestock, vehicle access and repeated mowing from damaging regenerating forest.
• Use local provenance plants where available and replace failed plantings during the establishment period.

Rehabilitation actions: Roost and movement features

Retain existing hollow-bearing trees and mature trees wherever practicable. The supplied sources do not establish that nest boxes are used by this species or specify a suitable box design, so do not install boxes as a substitute for retaining natural habitat without specialist advice.

Maintain forest links and avoid new artificial lighting through retained or rehabilitated vegetation where practicable.

• Do not remove retained logs, bark, rock piles or dense vegetation during routine maintenance unless they create a demonstrated safety or fire risk.
• Obtain species-specific advice before installing nest boxes, artificial roosts or other substitute structures.
• Inspect any artificial structure included in an approved plan and record use, damage and maintenance.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, predators and success measures

Set weed, pest, fire and maintenance actions to protect regenerating vegetation and connected forest. The supplied sources do not provide species-specific fire intervals, predator controls or rehabilitation benchmarks.

Measure success using survival and growth of plantings, natural regeneration, retained corridor continuity, understorey development, weed cover and evidence that fauna controls remain effective.

• Use a fire management approach that protects retained and rehabilitating rainforest and avoids unnecessary loss of dense understorey.
• Monitor for domestic or feral predators and implement approved controls where they threaten fauna or rehabilitation outcomes.
• Inspect rehabilitation after severe weather, fire, flooding and construction maintenance, and repair erosion, fencing and drainage failures.
• Record rehabilitation actions, monitoring dates, photographs, mapped vegetation cover and any M. florium observations in the project close-out report.

Sources

• See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268151236, tolgabathospital.org: https://tolgabathospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/AZ_Murina.pdf
• Survey guidelines for Australia's threatened bats, Australian Government DCCEEW: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/survey-guidelines-bats.pdf