Bioacoustics of Mystacina tuberculata

Breeding. Male Lesser New Zealand Short-tailed Bats pursuea lek-breeding strategy when population densities are high, vocalizing nightly from singing roosts clustered around communal roosts used by females. Singing begins as early as September, peaking in January-February. Twoto five males share somesinging roosts in apparent longterm coalitions. Song output scales negatively with male size, and “timeshare” males are larger than solitary males. Smaller males appear to have higher paternity success. Females mate with males within their singing roosts, and vaginal plugs are formed during mating. Following mating, there is a delayin fertilization, implantation, or development. Females are monoestrous, giving birth once per year in December—January. Births are usually synchronized, taking place within a week ofeach other, and usually occurin a single communal roost selected as the maternity roost by the population (or young are carried to the maternity roost by the motherif born elsewhere). Females generally give birth to one young, although twins are possible. Young are hairless and c.5b g when born and arefully furred and volant by four weeks old.