Chocolate Wattled Bat vs

Chalinolobus morio compared with Cocconeis disculus

Key Differences

• Chocolate Wattled Bat is Least Concern while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chocolate Wattled Bat
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Chromista (Chromista)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)
Order	Chiroptera (Bats)	Achnanthales (Achnanthales)
Family	Vespertilionidae	Cocconeidaceae
Genus	Chalinolobus	Cocconeis
Species	Chalinolobus morio	Cocconeis disculus

Conservation Status

Chocolate Wattled Bat

LC — Least Concern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chocolate Wattled Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chocolate Wattled Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Habitat

Native to Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sweden.

Chocolate Wattled Bat

The Chocolate Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus morio) is a small insectivorous bat in the family Vespertilionidae, endemic to Australia, where it is one of the more widespread members of the genus Chalinolobus — the wattled bats, named for the fleshy lobes (wattles) at the corners of the mouth. Chalinolobus morio is uniformly dark brown to chocolate-brown in colour, compact in build, and has the short, broad wings characteristic of bats that forage in cluttered forest environments at moderate to low altitudes. It is distributed across much of temperate and subtropical eastern Australia, southwestern Australia, and Tasmania, inhabiting diverse forest types from eucalypt woodland and mallee to tropical dry forest. The species roosts in tree hollows, bat boxes, and occasionally in buildings, sometimes forming small colonies. It feeds nocturnally on moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and other flying insects, using echolocation to detect and pursue prey. Like other hollow-dependent bats in Australia, populations are sensitive to the loss of large, old eucalypts with natural cavities. The IUCN classifies Chalinolobus morio as Least Concern given its broad distribution and relatively large population across Australia. Ongoing threats include hollow-bearing tree removal, roost disturbance, cat predation, and barbed wire entanglement.

Cocconeis disculus is a freshwater and brackish-water diatom in the family Cocconeidaceae, belonging to the class Bacillariophyceae—the diatoms, a group of unicellular photosynthetic algae encased in ornate silica cell walls called frustules. Like all members of the genus Cocconeis, C. disculus is an adnate, epiphytic species, meaning it lives attached to substrates—typically the surfaces of aquatic macrophytes, filamentous algae, and sediment particles—rather than living freely in the water column. The frustule of Cocconeis species is distinctive in its bilateral symmetry and the characteristic difference between its two valves: the rapheless valve (RV) lacks the raphe slit present on the raphe valve (RV), a feature used in species identification. Cocconeis disculus has been documented from freshwater bodies across South America and various parts of the Northern Hemisphere, with distribution reflecting its tolerance of a range of water temperatures and nutrient conditions. Diatoms like C. disculus are foundational components of aquatic food webs, fixing carbon through photosynthesis and providing a nutritious food source for grazing invertebrates, protists, and larval fish. The species also contributes to the biosilica cycle through the production and dissolution of its silica frustule. As a benthic, substrate-attached organism, Cocconeis disculus serves as a sensitive bioindicator of water quality conditions in freshwater monitoring programs. Its conservation status is not formally evaluated.