Ashy-headed flying fox

Ashy-headed flying fox
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Pteropodidae
Genus:	Pteropus
Species:	P. caniceps
Binomial name
Pteropus caniceps Gray, 1870
Ashy-headed flying fox range

The ashy-headed flying fox or North Moluccan flying fox (Pteropus caniceps) is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Indonesia.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1870 by British zoologist John Edward Gray. The holotype had been collected on the Bacan Islands by Alfred Russel Wallace. ^[2] Its species name " caniceps " means "gray-headed" from Latin canus (gray) and -ceps (headed). This species has two subspecies:

• P. c. caniceps
• P. c. dobsoni ^[3] (named for zoologist George Edward Dobson)

Description

Its forearm is 139–141 mm (5.5–5.6 in) long. ^[4]

Range and habitat

This species is endemic to Indonesia. It has been found at elevations up to 1,630 m (5,350 ft) above sea level. ^[1]

Conservation

As of 2016, it is assessed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this assessment because its population decline has been at least 30% from 1992–2016. Additionally, it is experiencing habitat fragmentation, and it is losing habitat due to logging and mining activities. ^[1]

References

1. Tsang, S.M. (2016). "Pteropus caniceps". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T18719A22079034. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T18719A22079034.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
2. Gray, J. E. (1870). Catalogue of monkeys, lemurs, and fruit-eating bats in the collection of the British Museum. Order of the Trustees. p. 107.
3. "North Moluccan Flying Fox". BioLib.cz. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
4. Flannery, T. F. (1995). Mammals of the south-west Pacific & Moluccan Islands. Cornell University Press. p. 184. ISBN   978-0-8014-3150-0.