Christmas Island pipistrelle#Decline and extinction

It was described as a new species by British paleontologist Charles William Andrews, in a monograph published in 1900. Its species name "murrayi" was likely inspired by Sir John Murray, who helped pay for Andrews's expedition to the Christmas Island where he described it.{{cite book|last1=Andrews| first1= C. W.| date= 1900| title= A Monograph of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean)| publisher= Printed by order of the Trustees| pages=[https://archive.org/details/monographofchris00brit/page/26 26]–28|url=https://archive.org/details/monographofchris00brit}}

It has sometimes been considered synonymous with Pipistrellus tenuis;{{cite journal|last=Koopman|first=KF|year=1973|title=Systematics of Indo-Australian pipistrelles|journal=Periodicum Biologorum|volume=75|pages=113–116}}{{cite book|last=Koopman|first=KF|year=1993|chapter=Order Chiroptera|pages=137–241|editor1-last=Wilson|editor1-first=DE|editor2-last=Reeder|editor2-first=DM|title=Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington}} however, revisions of the genus based on baculum identified Pipistrellus murrayi as a distinct species.{{cite journal|last1=Kitchener|first1=DJ|last2=Caputi|first2=N|last3=Jones|first3=B|year=1986|title=Revision of the Australo-Papuan Pipistrellus and Falsistrellus (Microchiroptera: Vespertilionidae)|journal=Records of the Western Australian Museum|volume=12|pages=435–495}} This was supported by genetic work conducted for the Australian Government as part of its investigation into the decline of Christmas Island ecology and the pipistrelle in mid-2009; the results of this analysis indicate that the Christmas Island Pipistrelle was closely related to but distinct from other Asian pipistrelles.{{cite book|title=Revised Interim Report|author=Christmas Island Expert Working Group to Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts|date=July 2009|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/publications/christmas/pubs/revised-interim.pdf}}

It was a small bat weighing around {{convert|3-4.5|g|oz|abbr=on}}. It had dark brown fur, with the tips of its hairs yellowish. Its forearm was {{convert|30-33|mm|in|abbr=on}} long. It was the smallest described species of bat in Australia.{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=64383 |title=Pipistrellus murrayi — Christmas Island Pipistrelle |author=Department of the Environment |date=2018 |website=environment.gov.au |publisher=Department of the Environment, Canberra |access-date=25 January 2018}} Its ears were triangular and rounded at the tips. Its uropatagium had a distinct calcar. Its tail protruded very slightly ({{convert|2|mm|in|abbr=on}}) past the uropatagium. The length of its head and body was {{convert|35-40|mm|in|abbr=on}} long; its tail was {{convert|30-31|mm|in|abbr=on}} long; its ear was {{convert|9-11|mm|in|abbr=on}}; its hind foot was {{convert|6-8|mm|in|abbr=on}} long.

This species fed on insects and roosted in tree hollows and decaying vegetation.{{cite book|last1=Schulz|first1=M|last2=Lumsden|first2=L|year=2004|title=National Recovery Plan for the Christmas Island Pipistrelle Pipistrellus murrayi|publisher=Department of Environment and Heritage|isbn=978-0-642-55012-5|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/p-murrayi/introduction.html}}{{cite book|editor1-last=van Dyck|editor1-first=S.|editor2-last=Strahan|editor2-first=R|year=2008|title=The Mammals of Australia}}

The Christmas Island pipistrelle declined dramatically from 1990.{{cite book|last1=Lumsden|first1=L|last2=Schulz|first2=M|last3=Ashton|first3=R|first4=Middleton|last4=D|year=2007|title=Investigation of threats to the Christmas Island Pipistrelle. A report to the Department of the Environment and Water Resources|publisher=Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Sustainability and Environment|location=Heidelberg, Victoria}} It was once commonly seen throughout the island including in the settlement.{{cite book|last=Tidemann|first=C|year=1985|title= A study of the status, habitat requirements and management of the two species of bats on Christmas Island (Indian Ocean)|publisher=Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service|location=Canberra}}

A reassessment of the number of individuals remaining in January 2009 suggested there may have been as few as 20 individuals left. The only known communal roost contained only four individuals. Three years before, there had been 54 individuals in this colony and there were several other known, similar-sized colonies. Monitoring in early 2009 showed that some bats survived in the wild, prompting the Australian government to announce on 1 July 2009, that it would attempt to rescue the bat by bringing the last remaining individuals into captivity, with assistance of volunteer bat researchers from the Australasian Bat Society.{{cite news|last=Galvin|first=Nick|title=Garrett goes in to bat for species on sticky wicket|url=http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/garrett-goes-in-to-bat-for-species-on-sticky-wicket-20090215-8889.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald - Environment|publisher=Fairfax|access-date=14 December 2012|date=16 February 2009}}{{cite web|first1=Peter|last1=Garrett|first2=Warren|last2=Snowdon|date=1 July 2009|title=Christmas Island Ecosystem Rescue|url=http://www.bats.org.au/wp-content/uploads/mr_christmas-island-010709.pdf |access-date=2009-07-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913145413/http://www.bats.org.au/wp-content/uploads/mr_christmas-island-010709.pdf |archive-date=13 September 2009}}

In early August 2009 Australian Government gave permission to capture the bats to establish a captive breeding program. However, after four weeks of surveying located only a single bat through its echolocation. Researchers were unable to catch it and the last echolocation call of this bat was recorded on 26 August 2009, when it went silent. On 8 September 2009, the Australian Government announced that attempts to capture the bats had failed. No Christmas Island pipistrelles have been seen or heard since, and it is believed the species is now extinct.{{cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1946471,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213021855/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1946471,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 December 2009 | magazine=Time | date=9 December 2009|title=Should Wild Animals Become Pets to Ward Off Extinction?|first=Marina|last=Kamenev}}{{cite web|url=http://news.mongabay.com/2012/05/island-bat-goes-extinct-after-australian-officials-hesitate/|title=Island bat goes extinct after Australian officials hesitate|first=Jeremy|last=Hance|date=23 May 2012|publisher=Mongabay}}

It is believed to be the first mammal extinction in Australia in 50 years.{{cite journal| last1=Martin| first1= T. G.| last2=Nally| first2= S.| last3= Burbidge| first3= A. A.| last4= Arnall| first4= S.| last5= Garnett| first5= S. T.| last6= Hayward| first6= M. W.| last7= Possingham| first7= H. P.| date= 2012| title= Acting fast helps avoid extinction| journal= Conservation Letters| issue= 5| volume=4| pages= 274–280| doi= 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00239.x| s2cid= 85987070| doi-access= free| bibcode= 2012ConL....5..274M}}

The cause of the Christmas Island pipistrelle's decline is unknown. Several potential threats have been suggested: predation or disturbance at roost sites, and disease. Introduced species such as the common wolf snake, giant centipede,{{cite web|url=http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_s/b_3704.htm|title=Scolopendra morsitans|publisher=CSIRO}} yellow crazy ant, black rat or feral cats have all been identified as potential suspects responsible for the decline either through predation or disturbance of the bats. It has also been speculated that an unidentified health threat, or poisoning from the insecticide Fipronil used to control yellow crazy ant 'supercolonies' could be responsible for the decline.

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{{cite journal |last1=Hill |first1=J.E |last2=Harrison |first2=D.L. |title=The baculum in the Vespertilioninae (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) with a systematic review, a synopsis of Pipistrellus and Eptesicus, and the descriptions of a new genus and subgenus |journal=Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) |date=30 July 1987 |volume=52 |pages=225–305 |doi=10.5962/p.18307 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/18307 |issn=0007-1498|doi-access=free }}

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{{Vespertilionidae|V.|P.}}

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Category:Pipistrellus

Category:Bats of Australia

Category:Fauna of Christmas Island

Category:Extinct animals of Australia

Category:Mammals described in 1900

Category:Taxa named by Charles William Andrews

Category:Mammal extinctions since 1500

Category:Bats of Southeast Asia