The Pacific sheath-tailed bat or Polynesian sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata) is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae[2] found in American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, Palau, Samoa (where it is called pe'a vai, tagiti or pe'ape'a vai), Tonga, and Vanuatu. Its natural habitat is caves.
Pacific sheath-tailed bat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Emballonuridae |
Genus: | Emballonura |
Species: | E. semicaudata
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Binomial name | |
Emballonura semicaudata Peale, 1848
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Pacific sheath-tailed bat range (red — extant, black — extinct) |
In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species on its worldwide priority list for conservation.[3] It is threatened by habitat loss. There are estimated to be approximately 500 individuals of the subspecies E. s. rotensis.[4] Currently known to roost in only three caves, E. s. rotensis is vulnerable to changes in the local habitat, including indirect impacts caused by invasive species such as goats[4] which limit its carrying capacity.