Rüppell’s Broad-nosed Bat

Rüppell's or the greater broad-nosed bat (Scoteanax rueppellii) is a species of vespertilionid microbat found in eastern Australia. == Taxonomy == Scoteanax rueppellii was described as a new species in 1866 by German naturalist Wilhelm Peters. The source of the holotype is noted by the author as "Sydney in Westaustralien", referring to Sydney, Australia. Peters initially placed it in the genus Nycticejus (alternate spelling of Nycticeius), with the binomial Nycticejus rüppellii. The eponym for the species name "rueppellii" (pronounced rue'-pel-ee-ee) is Eduard Rüppell of the Frankfurt Museum, who loaned the specimen to the author. The species was later recognised as sole type of the genus Scoteanax, first described by Ellis Troughton in his standard book of Australian mammals published in 1944. The species is distinguished as Rueppell's or the greater 'broad-nosed bat', a term that may refer to species of the genus Scotorepens. == Description == An insectivorous species of bat, moderately large in size with a robust build. The ears of Scoteanax rueppellii are short and widely separated on the head, the tips barely touching if pressed across the head distinguishes physically handled species from similar bats. A concave feature at the outer margin appears below the rounded tip…