| Bare-backed fruit bat | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Pteropodidae |
| Genus: | Dobsonia |
| Species: | D. moluccensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Dobsonia moluccensis | |
 | |
| Bare-backed fruit bat range | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The bare-backed fruit bat or Moluccan naked-backed fruit bat (Dobsonia moluccensis) is a fruit bat in the family Pteropodidae.
It was described as a new species in 1830 by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard who placed it in the now-defunct bat genus Hypoderma, with the scientific name H. moluccensis. [2] Its relationship with Dobsonia magna requires further investigation. [1] Its species name " moluccensis " means "belonging to the Moluccas," which is where the species is found.
Its fur is brown and its feet have distinctive white claws. It is smaller than the New Guinea naked-backed fruit bat. [3] Males weigh 380–500 g (0.84–1.10 lb) while females weigh 325–525 g (0.717–1.157 lb). Its ears are pointed, and its second digits lack claws, unlike flying foxes. Its wings attach at the back along the spine rather than along the sides of the body. [4]
The bare-backed fruit bat is a seasonal breeder, with the mating season from April to June. Females give birth from mid-August through November. [4]
The bare-backed fruit bat is found in Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. It has been documented from 0–2,700 m (0–8,858 ft) above sea level. [1]
As of 2016, it is considered a least-concern species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this assessment because it has a wide geographic range, and it is locally abundant. [1]
The Philippine naked-backed fruit bat or Philippine bare-backed fruit bat is a megabat that mostly lives on Negros Island. Two small populations were also found on Cebu Island in the Philippines. Like other bare-backed fruit bats, its wings meet along the midline of their bodies, making it a very agile flier. It roosted in caves, in areas where little light penetrated the gloom. It was so abundant once that it left piles of guano, which were used by miners as fertilizer.
The Javan rusa or Sunda sambar is a deer native to Indonesia and East Timor. Introduced populations exist in a wide variety of locations in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Moluccan king parrot is a parrot endemic to Peleng Island, Maluku, and West Papua in Indonesia. It is sometimes referred to as the Ambon king parrot or Amboina king parrot, but this is potentially misleading, as it is found on numerous other islands than Ambon. The male and female are similar in appearance, with a predominantly red head and underparts, green wings, and blue back and tail. Six subspecies are recognised, but only a few of these are regular in aviculture. In the wild, it inhabits rainforests and feeds on fruits, berries, seeds and buds.
The emperor fairywren is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is found in New Guinea in its natural habitat of subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The hooded monarch is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found on New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The Vanikoro flycatcher is a species of monarch flycatcher in the family Monarchidae. It has a slightly disjunct distribution, occurring on Vanikoro island and in Fiji.
Beaufort's naked-backed fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. Its natural habitat is in caves.
Dobsonia is a genus of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It contains the following 13 species:
The Biak naked-backed fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Indonesia.
The lesser naked-backed fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
The Panniet naked-backed fruit bat, also known as the De Vis's Bare-backed Fruit Bat and Panaeati Bare-backed Fruit Bat, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It roosts in groups, within caves and tree hollows.
The New Britain naked-backed fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to New Britain island in northern Papua New Guinea.
Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, and moist savanna. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The great flying fox, also known as the greater flying fox or Bismarck flying fox, is a species of megabat in the genus Pteropus, found throughout lowland areas of New Guinea and in the Bismarck Archipelago. Conflicting evidence suggests that its closest relative is either the spectacled flying fox or, jointly, the Pelew and insular flying foxes. Two subspecies are recognized. At up to 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) in weight, it is among the heaviest bats in the world and the largest bat in Melanesia. It is a gregarious animal which roosts with hundreds or thousands of individuals. In part due to its wide variation in color, it has many taxonomic synonyms, including Pteropus degener, Pteropus papuanus, and Pteropus sepikensis. It may forage during the day or night in search of fruit, including figs or fruits from the family Sapotaceae. It is considered a least-concern species by the IUCN, though its numbers have been negatively impacted by what appeared to be a disease, as well as by hunting for bushmeat that occurs across its range.
Andersen's naked-backed fruit bat or Andersen's bare-backed fruit bat is a large cave-dwelling species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago including the Admiralty Islands in Papua New Guinea.
The Halmahera naked-backed fruit bat is a common and widespread species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Indonesia. It is assessed as least-concern by the IUCN as it has a wide range and seems to have no significant threats.
