| New Ireland masked flying fox | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Pteropodidae |
| Genus: | Pteropus |
| Species: | P. ennisae |
| Binomial name | |
| Pteropus ennisae Flannery & White, 1991 | |
The New Ireland masked flying fox (Pteropus ennisae) is a species of megabat that is endemic to Papua New Guinea.
The New Ireland masked flying fox was initially described in 1991 by Tim Flannery and J. P. White, who regarded it as a subspecies of Temminck's flying fox (Pteropus temminckii ennisae). The holotype had been collected by Flannery, Lester Seri, T. Heinsohn, and Patricia Ennis on the island of New Ireland in 1988. In a 1995 publication, Flannery considered it instead as a subspecies of the Bismarck masked flying fox (Pteropus capistratus ennisae). [2] However, a 2014 study found that the genetic distance between P. capistratus and P. c. ennisae (4.7%), along with several physical differences, was enough to warrant elevating P. ennisae to species level. [3] The eponym for the species name ennisae is Patricia "Tish" Ennis. [4]
Individuals have a mass of 170–250 g (6.0–8.8 oz), a head and body length of 155–185 mm (6.1–7.3 in) and a forearm length of 109.0–118.5 mm (4.29–4.67 in). It can be differentiated from the Bismarck masked flying fox by its indistinct facial markings, darker claws, and darker flight membranes. The top of its head lacks the yellowish tint seen in the Bismarck masked flying fox. [4]
The New Ireland masked flying fox is endemic to the island of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. It is found in forested habitat from sea level to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level. [1]
As of 2022, it is considered a vulnerable species by the IUCN. Its population is thought to number between 9,000 and 10,000 mature individuals with a declining trend. It is an uncommon species, occurring in a low density throughout its range. There is extensive and ongoing deforestation on Papua New Guinea that is causing habitat loss. [1]
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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The Temotu flying fox is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands. It is threatened by habitat destruction due to subsistence agricultural practices, as well as natural disasters such as tropical cyclones. Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent extinction. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation.
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The Geelvink Bay flying fox or Geelvink Bay fruit bat is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the islands of Yapen, Numfor, and Rani, which lie north of New Guinea in Indonesia's Papua Province. The name comes from Geelvink Bay, now Cenderawasih Bay.
The Bismarck masked flying fox is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae found in Papua New Guinea and named after the Bismarck Archipelago. It was once considered a subspecies of Pteropus temminckii before being reassessed in 2001. This species has two subspecies, P. c. capistratus and P. c. ennisae. The IUCN classified it as Near Threatened in 2009, noting that the rate of decline is almost high enough to reclassify the species as Vulnerable.
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The big-eared flying fox is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae, larger bats who subsist largely on fruits. The species is distributed across a range in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and islands nearing the Cape York peninsula at the northeast of Australia, at elevations less than 500 metres and often in coastal mangroves.
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