| Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Pteropodidae |
| Genus: | Epomophorus |
| Species: | E. wahlbergi |
| Binomial name | |
| Epomophorus wahlbergi (Sundevall, 1846) | |
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| Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat range | |
Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi) is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is commonly found across southern Africa.
Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat is brown to tawny colored with white hair patches at the base of the ears. Males are typically darker in coloration than females. [2] This species is named for erectable epaulettes of hair that form around large scent glands in males only. [3] [4] Males are also distinguished from females by air sacs on the neck that may increase the volume of courtship calls. [5] Scent glands are located near the white ear patches in both sexes. [4] Wings are broad as compared to other bat species. [6] Adult wingspan is 510–600 mm (20–24 in) and 456–540 mm (18.0–21.3 in) for males and females, respectively. Adults weight 54–125 g (1.9–4.4 oz). [7] [8]
The eyes of E. wahlbergi are large. Ears are simple, oval-shaped, and lack a tragus. The nose is also simple, but the lips are highly folded and expansible. [4] Skulls are 44–57 mm (1.7–2.2 in) and 41–49 mm (1.6–1.9 in) long for males and females, respectively. [7]
Species of the genus Epomophorus can be distinguished from other megabats (Family Pteropodidae) by their eponymous white epaulettes. [2] A single post-dental palatal ridge in E. wahlbergi distinguishes this species from other members of the genus. [9]
Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat is found across southern Africa in forest, shrubland, and savanna habitats at altitudes from sea level up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft). [5] [10] Populations have also been found in wooded urban areas and roosting in man-made structures. [10]
Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat is frugivorous, its diet mainly consisting of figs, guava, and various fruits of Diospyros species. [6] [11] Collected fruit is typically carried away from the source tree to another tree. The soft tissue and fruit are consumed while the seeds and skins are discarded. [6] [12] Leaves from Balanites species and several insects may also be eaten. [11]
E. wahlbergi is nocturnal. It roosts in well-lit open trees, [6] under palm fronds, in dense forests near rivers, under thatched roofs of sheds, and, rarely, in caves. [12] Roosting groups may be 3–100 individuals. Bats typically change roost locations daily or every few days [13] and may fly as far as 4 km (2.5 mi) to feeding areas. Roost locations may follow the ripening of fruit trees. [5] Alternatively, frequently changing roost sites may be a strategy to decrease predation. [6] Females travel greater distances to feeding areas early in the night while males travel farther closer to dawn. Roost trees may be shared with other Epomophorus species, though roosting groups are formed by single species. [6] [9]
While roosting, E. wahlbergi is camouflaged by cryptic fur patterns. White ear spots are present in all members of the genus Epomophorus and may function to break up the outline of the head when viewed from below. [14]
Flight in Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat is relatively slow and somewhat clumsy, often bumping into other individuals and obstacles. [6] An extensive grooming period, lasting up to 30 minutes, usually precedes departure from the roost tree. Most flight occurs in the first three hours of the night. [12]
Outside of breeding activities and parental care, social interaction typically only occurs while roosting. [12] During the mating season, males leave the roost tree, fly to another tree, and make frog-like courtship calls while displaying their erected epaulettes for up to an hour before moving to another tree. [4] Calling males position themselves approximately 50 m (175 ft) from other males and make 75–120 calls per minute. [6]
Two birth periods occur per year, the first from February to March and the second from October to December [3] [15] The first birth period coincides with peak fruit availability in the rainy season. Gestation is 5–6 months. [16] Litter size is usually one, but, occasionally, two pups may be born. [17] Bats are typically full-grown at 15 months. Females are able to reproduce at 12 months old, while males reach sexual maturity after this but before 18 months of age. [15]
Though it does not enter torpor, E. wahlbergi is heterothermic, lowering its core body temperature while roosting. In winter, this heterothermy is more pronounced. [18] Portions of the geographic range of E. wahlbergi incur the largest seasonal temperature variations of the entire Afrotropical region. [19] Metabolic rates increase up to 30% during the winter as compared to summer, allowing individuals to overcome heat loss in lower ambient temperatures. Body mass also increases in winter. An individual's thermoneutral zone may also be broader in the winter than in the summer, allowing a greater temperature tolerance and thus decreasing energy expenditure typically used to compensate for minor changes in core body temperature. In times of heat stress, excessive salivation, wing fanning, body licking, and panting help to lower body temperature. [20] Some individuals are intolerant of extreme heat and die at temperatures greater than 40 °C (104 °F). [18]
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.
The Egyptian fruit bat or Egyptian rousette is a species of megabat that is found in Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Indian subcontinent. It is one of three Rousettus species with an African-Malagasy range, though the only species of its genus found on continental Africa. The common ancestor of the three species colonized the region in the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene. The species is traditionally divided into six subspecies. It is considered a medium-sized megabat, with adults weighing 80–170 g (2.8–6.0 oz) and possessing wingspans of approximately 60 cm (24 in). Individuals are dark brown or grayish brown, with their undersides paler than their backs.
The spotted-winged fruit bat, is the smallest megabat in the world, and the only species in the genus Balionycteris. It inhabits forests in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The grey-headed flying fox is a megabat native to Australia. The species shares mainland Australia with three other members of the genus Pteropus: the little red P. scapulatus, spectacled P. conspicillatus, and the black P. alecto. The grey-headed flying fox is the largest bat in Australia.
The black flying fox or black fruit bat is a bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is among the largest bats in the world, but is considerably smaller than the largest species in its genus, Pteropus. The black flying fox is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. It is not a threatened species.
The eastern or Queensland tube-nosed bat is a megabat in the family Pteropodidae that lives in north-eastern Australia. N. robinsoni is one of the few species in Pteropodidae that roosts solitarily. They get their common name from their raised tubular nostrils which is unlike most other species in the family. They are a deep brown with gray heads and sparse yellow spotting.
The hammer-headed bat, also known as hammer-headed fruit bat and big-lipped bat, is a megabat widely distributed in West and Central Africa. It is the only member of the genus Hypsignathus, which is part of the tribe Epomophorini along with four other genera. It is the largest bat in continental Africa, with wingspans approaching 1 m (3.3 ft), and males almost twice as heavy as females. Males and females also greatly differ in appearance, making it the most sexually dimorphic bat species in the world. These differences include several adaptations that help males produce and amplify vocalizations: the males' larynges are about three times as large as those of females, and they have large resonating chambers on their faces. Females appear more like a typical megabat, with foxlike faces.
Epomophorus is a genus of bat in the family Pteropodidae. They have a distribution throughout Africa.
The Peters's epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is in riverine or evergreen forest, or moist woodland, where there are fruit-bearing trees.
The Gambian epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae.
The Ethiopian epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Burundi, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and moist savanna. It is threatened by habitat destruction.
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.
Franquet's epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae, and is one of three different species of epauletted bats. Franquet's epauletted fruit bat has a range of habitats, varying from sub-saharan forest to equatorial tropics.
The black-bellied fruit bat is a species of order Chiroptera in the family Pteropodidae.
Peters's dwarf epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and moist savanna.
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/or 70 to 127 mm. 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.
Ansell's epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae.
The minor epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique and Kenya.
The Rousettinae are a subfamily of megabats. Taxa within this subfamily include:
Walker’s Bats of the World.
