Pteropus seychellensis, Milne-Edwards, 1877

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 160

185.

Seychelles Flying Fox

Pteropus seychellensis

French: Roussette des Seychelles / German: Seychellen-Flughund / Spanish: Zorro volador de las Seychelles

Taxonomy. Pteropus seychellensis Milne-Edwards, 1877 ,

Mahé (Island), Seychelle Islands.

Pteropus seychellensis is in the vampyrus species group. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.s.seychellensisMilne-Edwards,1877—EgraniticSeychelles,includingMahé,P.r.lin,LaDigue,andSilhouette.

P.s. comorensis Nicoll, 1908 — Mafia I ( Tanzania) and Comoro Is (Grande Comore, Anjouan, Mohéli, and Mayotte).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 235 mm (tailless), ear 35 mm, hindfoot 38-49 mm, forearm 147-158 mm (males) and 151-154 mm (females); weight 370-390 g. The Seychelles Flying Fox is large and brown. Head is fox-like; muzzle is long and tapering; anterior one-half of face is dark brown, clearly contrasting with yellow posterior one-half; and ears are pointed, naked, and dark brown, without conspicuous basal ear patches. Males and females are similar in color; back is blackish brown (exceptionally with scattered pale gray hairs), with striking yellow, pale gold, or brownish yellow mantle; crown is golden yellow or brownish yellow; collar is longer and particularly coarser in males, with golden yellow or rusty yellow pelage adjoined to mantle; pelage is dense and mid-dorsally 14 mm long. Ventrally, chin and throat are dark brown, turning into bright orange, rusty yellow, or bright rusty brown on chest and dark brown with pale yellow wash abdominally and on flanks; and hairs in latter area are bicolored, with dark brown bases and yellow tips. Wings are blackish dark brown and attach to second toe; uropatagium is relatively well developed. Index claw is present. Skull is typical pteropine, long and robust; rostrum is of medium length. Dentition is typical pteropine.

Habitat. Primary and secondary tropical moist forests from sea level up to elevations of c. 1000 m on Grande Comore, ¢. 760 m on Anjouan, ¢. 500 m on Mohéli, and ¢. 250 m on Mayotte.

Food and Feeding. The Seychelles Flying Fox feeds on soft fruits, pollen, nectar, and leaves of Mangifera (Anacardiaceae) ; Carica (Caricaceae) ; Terminalia (Combretaceae) ; Vitex (Lamiaceae) ; Adansonia and Ceiba (Malvaceae) ; Ficus (Moraceae) ; Eugenia and Syzygium (Myrtaceae) ; Musa (Musaceae) ; and cultivated fruits and nectar from Ceiba and Erythrina (Fabaceae) . It is an important disperser of rare endemic forest trees.

Breeding. Littersize of the Seychelles Flying Fox is one. On Comoro Islands, reproduction is seasonally monoestrous, with mating in April-June when wet season changes to dry season. Young clinging on their mothers have been recorded in January.

Activity patterns. The Seychelles Flying Fox is partially diurnal, crepuscular, and nocturnal. During the day,it roosts in shaded trees such as Ceiba , Tamarindus (Fabaceae) , and Casuarina (Casuarinaceae) , where they hang freely from branches. They are often noisy and quarrel with neighbors, engaging themselves in play-fighting, tussles, and play-chasing. Early in the afternoon, they leave roosts, probably taking advantage of updraft winds that enable them to travel further by gliding rather than flapping. Earliest departures begin at noon, but most of individuals leave roosts at 14:00-17:30 h. In late afternoon, they mightfly short distances over the sea and dip their lower body in the seawater, possibly to retrieve salt from the water or remove parasites. They return to roosts around sunrise.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Seychelles Flying Foxes roost in colonies of 20-2000 individuals in a variety of social groups: pairs of adults, harems containing one male and several females, maternity associations of females and young, and bachelor groups. Communication can be vocal, visual, olfactory, and physical. During the night, they commute up to 5 km or more to feeding areas.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Seychelles Flying Fox is hunted for food and as a pest of crop fruit on a limited scale on some islands. Collisions with powerlines constitute an increasing threat. It occurs in protected areas such as Morne Seychellois National Park on Mahé Island. Population on Mafia Island might be threatened, particularly if it is a separate species.

Bibliography. Almeida et al. (2014), Bergmans (1991), Bergmans, Gerlach et al. (2017), Cheke & Dahl (1981), Gerlach (2003), Goodman, Weyeneth et al. (2010), Happold, M. (2013m), Hill (1971a), Mickleburgh et al. (1992), O'Brien etal. (2009), Riccucci (2016).

Figures

174. Livingstone’s Flying Fox (Pteropus livingstonii), 175. Pemba Flying Fox (Pleropus voeltzkowi), 176. Ryukyu Flying Fox (Pleropus dasymallus), 177. Bonin Flying Fox (Pteropus pselaphon), 178. Little Golden-mantled Flying Fox (Pleropus pumilus), 179. Lyle’s Flying Fox (Pteropus lylei), 180. Indian Flying Fox (Pleropus medius), 181. Rodrigues Flying Fox (Pteropus rodricensus), 182. Large Flying Fox (Pteropus vampyrus), 183. Aldabra Flying Fox (Pleropus aldabrensis), 184. Malagasy Flying Fox (Pteropus rufus), 185. Seychelles Flying Fox (Pleropus seychellensis), 186. Greater Mascarene Flying Fox (Pteropus niger), 187. Aru Flying Fox (Pteropus aruensis), 188. Kai Flying Fox (Pleropus keyensis), 189. Black-bearded Flying Fox (Pleropus melanopogon), 190. South Moluccan Flying Fox (Pteropus chrysoproctus), 191. North Moluccan Flying Fox (Pteropus caniceps)

Subspecies and Distribution. P.s.seychellensisMilne-Edwards,1877—EgraniticSeychelles,includingMahé,P.r.lin,LaDigue,andSilhouette. P.s. comorensis Nicoll, 1908 — Mafia I ( Tanzania ) and Comoro Is (Grande Comore, Anjouan, Mohéli, and Mayotte ).