| Blanford's fruit bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Pteropodidae |
| Genus: | Sphaerias Miller, 1906 |
| Species: | S. blanfordi |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphaerias blanfordi (Thomas, 1891) | |
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| Blanford's fruit bat range | |
| Synonyms | |
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Blanford's fruit bat (Sphaerias blanfordi) is a mountain species of megabat. It is found in several countries in South and Southeast Asia.
Blanford's fruit bat was described as a new species in 1891 by English zoologist Oldfield Thomas, who put it in the genus Cynopterus (C. blanfordi). [2] The eponym for its specific epithet "blanfordi" is English naturalist William Thomas Blanford. [3]
In 1906, American zoologist Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. proposed the new genus Sphaerias. He justified the inclusion of C. blanfordi in this genus as opposed to Cynopterus due to its lack of a calcar and the development of the incisors, whose shape he called "peculiar". [4]
It occurs in several countries in South and Southeast Asia, including Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. [1] In 2010, it was documented in Laos for the first time. [5] It has been documented at a range of elevations from 308–2,710 m (1,010–8,891 ft) above sea level. [1]
As of 2008, it is listed as a least-concern species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this designation due to its large geographic range and presumably large population size. Additionally, it is unlikely to be experiencing rapid population decline. [1] The IUCN listed no major threats to the species, [1] but the first record of it in Laos was an individual sold as bushmeat at a market. [5]
William Thomas Blanford was an English geologist and naturalist. He is best remembered as the editor of a major series on The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma.
Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas was a British zoologist.
Geoffroy's rousette is a species of megabat or Old World fruit bats. It is one of ten species in the genus Rousettus.
Blanford's bat, also known as the least false-serotine bat, is a species of vesper bat. It can be found in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, where it lives in various different forested habitats. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The bronze sprite, also known as the black-gilded pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat found in China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal.
The black-bearded tomb bat is a species of sac-winged bat found in South and South East Asia.
Blanford's jerboa is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is native to Central Asia and is found in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
The wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
The greater short-nosed fruit bat, or short-nosed Indian fruit bat, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae found in South and Southeast Asia.
The ashy roundleaf bat is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae found in Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The convex horseshoe bat is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in Malaysia and Laos.
Blanford's lark or Blanford's short-toed lark is a small passerine bird of the lark family, Alaudidae, which is native to north-eastern Africa. Its common name commemorates the English zoologist William Thomas Blanford.
The lesser short-nosed fruit bat is a species of megabat within the family Pteropodidae. It is a small bat that lives in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It weighs between 21 and 32 grams, and measures 70 to 127 millimetres. It occurs in many types of habitat, but most frequently in disturbed forest, including lower montane forest and tropical lowland rain forest, plus gardens, mangroves, and vegetation on beaches.
Horsfield's fruit bat is a species of megabat native to South East Asia. It is named for Thomas Horsfield, an American naturalist who presented the type specimen to the British Museum.
The Kachin woolly bat is a species of bat found in Southeast Asia.
