Bare-backed rousette

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Bare-backed rousette
Rousettus spinalatus.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Rousettus
Species:
R. spinalatus
Binomial name
Rousettus spinalatus
Bergmans & Hill, 1980
Bare-backed Rousette area.png
Bare-backed rousette range

The bare-backed rousette (Rousettus spinalatus) is a species of megabat. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1980 by Bergmans and Hill. The holotype was collected in 1977 in northern Sumatra. The species name "spinulatus" is from Latin spina meaning "spine" and ala meaning "wing;" the scientific name refers to the fact that the wings insert along the spine rather than the sides of the body, which is unique in the genus Rousettus. [3]

Description

The bare-backed rousette is a small megabat with a cone-shaped snout. Its face has a number of small warts on its chin, around its mouth, and between its upper lip and eyes. Its wings are short and broad. [3] Its forearm length is approximately 83–89 mm (3.3–3.5 in). Individuals weigh 88–94 g (3.1–3.3 oz). [4]

Biology

It is nocturnal, roosting in sheltered places during the day such as caves. They navigate and potentially locate food resources using a primitive form of echolocation. They create high-pitched buzzing calls by moving the tongue against the palate. [4] Food sources may include nectar and fruit, [1] though it is alleged that they eat edible-nest swiftlet eggs and hatchlings, causing damage to the economically valuable nests. [4]

Range and habitat

Its range includes Indonesia and Malaysia. It is found at elevations up to 300 m (980 ft) above sea level. [1]

Conservation

As of 2008, it is evaluated as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera Acerodon and Pteropus—flying foxes. They are the only member of the superfamily Pteropodoidea, which is one of two superfamilies in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera. Internal divisions of Pteropodidae have varied since subfamilies were first proposed in 1917. From three subfamilies in the 1917 classification, six are now recognized, along with various tribes. As of 2018, 197 species of megabat had been described.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffroy's rousette</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser false vampire bat</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajah spiny rat</span> Species of rodent

The Rajah spiny rat also known as the brown spiny rat is endemic to Thailand and Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and adjacent islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edible-nest swiftlet</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angolan rousette</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascan rousette</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean treepie</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater nectar bat</span> Species of bat

The greater nectar bat or greater dawn bat is a species of megabat within the genus Eonycteris. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Its range is limited and includes Luzon to Maripipi in the Philippines and scattered parts of Borneo including Tuaran and Ranau in Sabah; Bau, Kuching and Bintulu in Sarawak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linduan rousette</span> Species of megabat

The Linduan rousette is a species of megabat in the Rousettus genus of the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Indonesia and is known only from four specimens collected in the swamp forest of Lore Lindu National Park, in central Sulawesi. It was first described in 2003.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Francis, C.M.; Waldien, D.L. (2021). "Rousettus spinalatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T19751A22002553. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T19751A22002553.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). JHU Press. ISBN   0801882214.
  3. 1 2 Bergmans, W.; Hill, J.E. (1980). "On a new species of Rousettus Gray, 1821, from Sumatra and Borneo (Mammalia: Megachiroptera)". Bulletin of the British Museum. 38: 95–104.
  4. 1 2 3 Phillipps, Q.; Phillipps, K. (2016). Phillipps' Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo and Their Ecology: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan. Princeton University Press. p. 106. ISBN   0691169411.