Demonic tube-nosed fruit bat

Species of bat

Demonic tube-nosed fruit bat
Conservation status

Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Nyctimene
Species:
N. masalai
Binomial name
Nyctimene masalai
Smith & Hood, 1983[2][3]
Demonic tube-nosed fruit bat range

The demonic tube-nosed fruit bat (Nyctimene masalai) is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. The holotype specimen was collected in 1979 on New Ireland, in the Bismarck Archipelago. It was described as a new species in 1983.[2] The range of the species may extend to other islands, however the extent of the range is not presently known.[1]

Taxonomy and etymology

Based on its morphology, it was placed into the cephalotes species group of its genus when it was described. Species groups are hypotheses of evolutionary relationships, so it is thought that the demonic tube-nosed fruit bat is most closely related to the other members of the species group:

More recently, others have placed it in the albiventer species group. Other members of the albiventer group included in this study were:

The specific epithet comes from the Tolai word "masalai", which Smith and Hood translate as "forest demon or devil".[2]: 7  Some sources place the demonic tube-nosed fruit bat as synonymous with the common tube-nosed fruit bat, Nyctimene albiventer.[6]

Description

An example of the long, tubular nostrils in Nyctimene major

Bats of the Nyctimene genus are distinguished by their elongated, tubular nostrils.[7] Individual bats are 94–103 mm (3.7–4.1 in) long. They weigh 45.2–52.3 g (1.59–1.84 oz). The forearm is 63.5–67.5 mm (2.50–2.66 in) long. The back is mottled reddish-brown, with a thin, 5 mm (0.20 in) black stripe running from the back of the head to the base of the tail. Hairs on the dorsal side of the body are long, at 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long. The ventral side is grayish-white with a yellowish-brown tint. The flight membranes are dark brown. The wings have pale yellowish-brown spots, while the ears have white spots. The forearm also has large white splotches. The nostrils are whitish.[2] Its snout is short and narrow and its dental formula is 1.1.3.10.1.3.2, for a total of 24 teeth.[7]

Biology

Its diet consists of fruit.[8]

Range and status

So far, it is only known from New Ireland, in the Bismarck Archipelago, which is part of Papua New Guinea. It is possible that its range includes other islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, though this is currently unconfirmed.[1] Members of this species identified so far have been found at 0–10 m (0–33 ft) above sea level.[2]

It is currently evaluated as data deficient by the IUCN. Previously in 1996, the IUCN had assessed this species as vulnerable. There has been little research regarding this species, and its population trend and geographic range are unknown. It is unknown if there are any threats to this species.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Leary, T.; Helgen, K. (2020). "Nyctimene masalai". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T14959A22008122. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T14959A22008122.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Smith, James Dale; Hood, Craig S. (1983). "A New Species of Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene) from the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea". Occasional Papers. The Museum. Texas Tech University. 81: 1–14.
  3. ^ Simmons, N.B. (2005). "Order Chiroptera". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 331. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  4. ^ Kitchener, D. J.; Packer, W. C.; Maryanto, I (1993). "Taxonomic status of Nyctimene (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) from the Banda, Kai and Aru Islands, Maluku, Indonesia–implications for biogeography" (PDF). Records of the Western Australian Museum. 16 (3): 399–417. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  5. ^ Bergmans, W. (2001). "Notes on distribution and taxonomy of Australasian bats. I. Pteropodinae and Nyctimeninae (Mammalia, Megachiroptera, Pteropodidae)". Beaufortia. 51 (8): 119–152. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  6. ^ Helgen, K.; Bonaccorso, F. (2008). "Nyctimene masalai". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T14959A4483409. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T14959A4483409.en.
  7. ^ a b Andersen, Knud (1912). Catalogue of the Chiroptera in the collection of the British Museum. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). London: British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology . [Mammals]. p. 788. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.8322. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  8. ^ Dumont, E. R.; Nicolay, C. W. (2006). "Cross-sectional geometry of the dentary in bats". Zoology. 109 (1): 66–74. doi:10.1016/j.zool.2005.08.004. PMID 16377164.

Further reading

  • Emmons, Louise H.; Kinbag, Felix (2001). "Mammals Known from New Ireland". In Beehler, Bruce M.; Alonso, Leeanne E. (eds.). Southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea: A Biodiversity Assessment (PDF). RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment. Vol. 21. Washington: Conservation International. p. 100. ISBN 1-881173-61-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  • Bergmans, Wim (2001). "Notes on distribution and taxonomy of Australasian bats. I. Pteropodinae and Nyctimeninae (Mammalia, Megachiroptera, Pteropodidae)". Beaufortia. 51 (8): 119–152.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Extant species of family Pteropodidae
Subfamily Nyctimeninae
Nyctimene
(tube-nosed fruit bats)
  • Broad-striped tube-nosed fruit bat (N. aello)
  • Common tube-nosed fruit bat (N. albiventer)
  • Pallas's tube-nosed bat (N. cephalotes)
  • Mountain tube-nosed fruit bat (N. certans)
  • Round-eared tube-nosed fruit bat (N. cyclotis)
  • Dragon tube-nosed fruit bat (N. draconilla)
  • Keast's tube-nosed fruit bat (N. keasti)
  • Island tube-nosed fruit bat (N. major)
  • Malaita tube-nosed fruit bat (N. malaitensis)
  • Demonic tube-nosed fruit bat (N. masalai)
  • Lesser tube-nosed bat (N. minutus)
  • Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat (N. rabori)
  • Eastern tube-nosed Bat (N. robinsoni)
  • Umboi tube-nosed fruit bat (N. vizcaccia)
Paranyctimene
  • Lesser tube-nosed fruit bat (P. raptor)
  • Steadfast tube-nosed fruit bat (P. tenax)
Subfamily Cynopterinae
Aethalops
(Pygmy fruit bats)
  • Borneo fruit bat (A. aequalis)
  • Pygmy fruit bat (A. alecto)
Alionycteris
  • Mindanao pygmy fruit bat (A. paucidentata)
Balionycteris
Chironax
  • Black-capped fruit bat (C. melanocephalus)
Cynopterus
(Dog-faced fruit bats)
  • Lesser short-nosed fruit bat (C. brachyotis)
  • Horsfield's fruit bat (C. horsfieldii)
  • Peters's fruit bat (C. luzoniensis)
  • Minute fruit bat (C. minutus)
  • Nusatenggara short-nosed fruit bat (C. nusatenggara)
  • Greater short-nosed fruit bat (C. sphinx)
  • Indonesian short-nosed fruit bat (C. titthaecheilus)
Dyacopterus
(Dayak fruit bats)
  • Brooks's dyak fruit bat (D. brooksi)
  • Rickart's dyak fruit bat (D. rickarti)
  • Dayak fruit bat (D. spadiceus)
Haplonycteris
  • Fischer's pygmy fruit bat (H. fischeri)
Latidens
  • Salim Ali's fruit bat (L. salimalii)
Megaerops
  • Tailless fruit bat (M. ecaudatus)
  • Javan tailless fruit bat (M. kusnotoi)
  • Ratanaworabhan's fruit bat (M. niphanae)
  • White-collared fruit bat (M. wetmorei)
Otopteropus
  • Luzon fruit bat (O. cartilagonodus)
Penthetor
  • Dusky fruit bat (P. lucasi)
Ptenochirus
(Musky fruit bats)
  • Greater musky fruit bat (P. jagori)
  • Lesser musky fruit bat (P. minor)
Sphaerias
  • Blanford's fruit bat (S. blanfordi)
Thoopterus
Subfamily Harpyionycterinae
Aproteles
  • Bulmer's fruit bat (A. bulmerae)
Dobsonia
(Bare-backed fruit bats)
  • Andersen's naked-backed fruit bat (D. anderseni)
  • Beaufort's naked-backed fruit bat (D. beauforti)
  • Philippine naked-backed fruit bat (D. chapmani)
  • Halmahera naked-backed fruit bat (D. crenulata)
  • Biak naked-backed fruit bat (D. emersa)
  • Sulawesi naked-backed fruit bat (D. exoleta)
  • Solomon's naked-backed fruit bat (D. inermis)
  • Lesser naked-backed fruit bat (D. minor)
  • Moluccan naked-backed fruit bat (D. moluccensis)
  • Panniet naked-backed fruit bat (D. pannietensis)
  • Western naked-backed fruit bat (D. peronii)
  • New Britain naked-backed fruit bat (D. praedatrix)
  • Greenish naked-backed fruit bat (D. viridis)
Harpyionycteris
  • Sulawesi harpy fruit bat (H. celebensis)
  • Harpy fruit bat (H. whiteheadi)
Subfamily Macroglossinae
Macroglossus
(Long-tongued fruit bats)
  • Long-tongued nectar bat (M. minimus)
  • Long-tongued fruit bat (M. sobrinus)
Melonycteris
  • Fardoulis's blossom bat (M. fardoulisi)
  • Black-bellied fruit bat (M. melanops)
  • Woodford's fruit bat (M. woodfordi)
Notopteris
(Long-tailed fruit bats)
  • Long-tailed fruit bat (N. macdonaldi)
  • New Caledonia blossom bat (N. neocaledonica)
Syconycteris
(blossom bats)
  • Common blossom bat (S. australis)
  • Halmahera blossom bat (S. carolinae)
  • Moss-forest blossom bat (S. hobbit)
Subfamily Pteropodinae
Acerodon
  • Sulawesi flying fox (A. celebensis)
  • Talaud flying fox (A. humilis)
  • Giant golden-crowned flying fox (A. jubatus)
  • Palawan fruit bat (A. leucotis)
  • Sunda flying fox (A. mackloti)
Desmalopex
  • White-winged flying fox (D. leucopterus)
  • Small white-winged flying fox (D. microleucopterus)
Eidolon
(Straw-coloured fruit bats)
  • Madagascan fruit bat (E. dupreanum)
  • Straw-coloured fruit bat (E. helvum)
Mirimiri
  • Fijian monkey-faced Bat (M. acrodonta)
Neopteryx
  • Small-toothed fruit bat (N. frosti)
Pteralopex
  • Bougainville monkey-faced Bat (P. anceps)
  • Guadalcanal monkey-faced Bat (P. atrata)
  • Greater monkey-faced Bat (P. flanneryi)
  • Montane monkey-faced Bat (P. pulchra)
  • New Georgian monkey-faced Bat (P. taki)
Pteropus
(flying foxes)
  • Admiralty flying fox (P. admiralitatum)
  • Aldabra flying fox (P. aldabrensis)
  • Black flying fox (P. alecto)
  • Small Samoan flying fox (P. allenorum)
  • Vanuatu flying fox (P. anetianus)
  • Aru flying fox (P. aruensis)
  • Ashy-headed flying fox (P. caniceps)
  • Bismarck masked flying fox (P. capistratus)
  • Moluccan flying fox (P. chrysoproctus)
  • Makira flying fox (P. cognatus)
  • Spectacled flying fox (P. conspicillatus)
  • Large Samoan flying fox (P. coxi)
  • Ryukyu flying fox (P. dasymallus)
  • New Ireland masked flying fox (P. ennisae)
  • Nicobar flying fox (P. faunulus)
  • Banks flying fox (P. fundatus)
  • Gilliard's flying fox (P. gilliardorum)
  • Gray flying fox (P. griseus)
  • Ontong Java flying fox (P. howensis)
  • Small flying fox (P. hypomelanus)
  • Andersen's flying fox (P. intermedius)
  • Kei flying fox (P. keyensis)
  • Livingstone's fruit bat (P. livingstonii)
  • Lombok flying fox (P. lombocensis)
  • Okinawa flying fox (P. loochoensis)
  • Lyle's flying fox (P. lylei)
  • Big-eared flying fox (P. macrotis)
  • Lesser flying fox (P. mahaganus)
  • Mariana fruit bat (P. mariannus)
  • Indian flying fox (P. medius)
  • Black-bearded flying fox (P. melanopogon)
  • Black-eared flying fox (P. melanotus)
  • Caroline flying fox (P. molossinus)
  • Great flying fox (P. neohibernicus)
  • Mauritian flying fox (P. niger)
  • Temotu flying fox (P. nitendiensis)
  • Ceram fruit bat (P. ocularis)
  • Ornate flying fox (P. ornatus)
  • P. pelagicus
  • Pelew flying fox (P. pelewensis)
  • Masked flying fox (P. personatus)
  • Geelvink Bay flying fox (P. pohlei)
  • Grey-headed flying fox (P. poliocephalus)
  • Bonin flying fox (P. pselaphon)
  • Little golden-mantled flying fox (P. pumilus)
  • Solomons flying fox (P. rayneri)
  • Rennell flying fox (P. rennelli)
  • Rodrigues flying fox (P. rodricensis)
  • Madagascan flying fox (P. rufus)
  • Samoa flying fox (P. samoensis)
  • Little red flying fox (P. scapulatus)
  • Seychelles fruit bat (P. seychellensis)
  • Philippine gray flying fox (P. speciosus)
  • Temminck's flying fox (P. temminckii)
  • Insular flying fox (P. tonganus)
  • Vanikoro flying fox (P. tuberculatus)
  • Kosrae flying fox (P. ualanus)
  • Large flying fox (P. vampyrus)
  • New Caledonia flying fox (P. vetulus)
  • Pemba flying fox (P. voeltzkowi)
  • Dwarf flying fox (P. woodfordi)
Styloctenium
  • Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat (S. mindorensis)
  • Sulawesi stripe-faced fruit bat (S. wallacei)
Subfamily Rousettinae
Eonycteris
(Dawn fruit bats)
  • Greater nectar bat (E. major)
  • Cave nectar bat (E. spelaea)
  • Philippine dawn bat (E. robusta)
Rousettus
(rousette fruit bats)
  • Subgenus Boneia: Manado fruit bat (R. bidens)
  • Subgenus Rousettus: Geoffroy's rousette (R. amplexicaudatus)
  • Sulawesi rousette (R. celebensis)
  • Egyptian rousette (R. aegyptiacus)
  • Leschenault's rousette (R. leschenaulti)
  • Linduan Rousette (R. linduensis)
  • Comoro rousette (R. obliviosus)
  • Bare-backed rousette (R. spinalatus)
  • Subgenus Stenonycteris: Long-haired rousette (R. lanosus)
  • Madagascan rousette (R. madagascariensis)
Subfamily Epomophorinae
Epomophorini
Epomophorus
(Epauleted fruit bats)
  • Angolan epauletted fruit bat (E. angolensis)
  • Ansell's epauletted fruit bat (E. anselli)
  • Peters's epauletted fruit bat (E. crypturus)
  • Gambian epauletted fruit bat (E. gambianus)
  • Lesser Angolan epauletted fruit bat (E. grandis)
  • Ethiopian epauletted fruit bat (E. labiatus)
  • East African epauletted fruit bat (E. minimus)
  • Minor epauletted fruit bat (E. minor)
  • Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat (E. wahlbergi)
Epomops
(Epauleted bats)
  • Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat (E. buettikoferi)
  • Dobson's fruit bat (E. dobsoni)
  • Franquet's epauletted fruit bat (E. franqueti)
Hypsignathus
  • Hammer-headed Bat (H. monstrosus)
Micropteropus
(Dwarf epauleted bats)
  • Hayman's dwarf epauletted fruit bat (M. intermedius)
  • Peters' dwarf epauletted fruit bat (M. pusillus)
Nanonycteris
  • Veldkamp's dwarf epauletted fruit bat (N. veldkampii)
Myonycterini
Lissonycteris
  • Angolan rousette (L. angolensis)
Megaloglossus
  • Azagnyi fruit bat (M. azagnyi)
  • Woermann's bat (M. woermanni)
Myonycteris
(Little collared fruit bats)
  • São Tomé collared fruit bat (M. brachycephala)
  • East African little collared fruit bat (M. relicta)
  • Little collared fruit bat (M. torquata)
Plerotini
Plerotes
  • D'Anchieta's fruit bat (P. anchietae)
Scotonycterini
Casinycteris
  • Short-palated fruit bat (C. argynnis)
  • Campo-Ma’an fruit bat (C. campomaanensis)
  • Pohle's fruit bat (C. ophiodon)
Scotonycteris
  • Zenker's fruit bat (S. zenkeri)
Taxon identifiers
Nyctimene masalai