Alionycteris paucidentata, Kock, 1969

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 75

25.

Mindanao Pygmy Fruit Bat

Alionycteris paucidentata

French: Cynoptére de Mindanao / German: Mindanao-Kleinflughund / Spanish: Alionicterio de Mindanao

Taxonomy. Alionycteris paucidentata Kock, 1969 ,

Mount Kitanglad, Bukidnon Province, Mindanao, Philippines.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from C Mindanao on Mt Kitanglad and neighboring Kalatungan Mt Range.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 66-72 mm (taillless), ear 13-15 mm, hindioot 11-12 mm, forearm 44-50 mm; weight 14-18 g. Head of the Mindanao Pygmy Fruit Bat has short snout muzzle, with blackish skin; nostrils are long and tubular; and philtrum is divided into two parallel grooves. Eyes are moderately large;iris is dark. Ears are moderately short and rounded, and medial rims are slightly thickened and pale. Head pelage is dense and blackish and continues into nape, and dorsum has long, woolly hairs, with soft interspersed guard hairs. Uropatagium, and calcar are absent; dorsal tibia and feet are thickly furred; and dorsal forearm is naked. Throat, chest, and belly are densely furred and dark gray. Wing membranes are black from sides of body, index claw is present, and thumb very long. Skull is small (condylo-basal lengths of 21-2-23- 3 mm) and delicate; rostrum is moderately short; forehead is sloping, orbit is moderately large; zygomatic roots are slightly above upper alveolar line; zygoma is very thin, arched; and braincase is rounded. Dorsally, rostrum is short and relatively narrow; paranasal recesses are inflated, reaching bases of very small postorbital processes; there is no postorbital foramina or postorbital constriction; temporallines are low and widely separated; skull is rounded; and nuchal crestis indistinct. Ventrally, palate is flat and relatively narrow; tooth rows are short and slightly divergent; post-dental is wide and relatively long; end of post-dental palate has short spine joined to sphenoidal crest; and ectotympanic is small and wide anteriorly. Mandible is thin; coronoid is long and sloping; condyleis level with lower alveolarline; and angle is distinct and rounded. Dental formulais 11/1, C1/1,P3/3,M1/2 (x2) = 26. I? is small and slightly convergent (I' absent); C' is small and gently decurved; P' is peg-like; posterior cheekteeth are small, spaced, rectangular in occlusal outline, decrease in height, and smooth, without additional cusps; and M' is almost peg-like. I is small and peg-like (I, absent); C, is weak and slightly decurved, almost straight; P| has developed crown, with one cusp; posterior cheekteeth decrease in height, and occlusal outline ranges from triangular to rectangular, to oval from anterior to posterior cheekteeth; and M,is minute. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 36 and FN =58 (7), with 13 pairs of metacentric or submetacentric, and five pairs of acrocentric chromosomes; sex chromosomes are undetermined, presumably metacentric.

Habitat. Montane and especially mossy forests at elevations of 1500-2250 m.

Food and Feeding. The Mindanao Pygmy Fruit Bat primarily eats small fruits.

Breeding. The Mindanao Pygmy Fruit Bat is apparently seasonally monoestrous, with females giving birth to one young synchronously once a year. Mid-term pregnant females were recorded in April-May.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Mindanao Pygmy Fruit Bat is very restricted to upper-elevation primary forests in a single mountainous area. It is a common, even dominant species at higher elevations where conservation concern is lowest. Population trend unknown but presumablystable.

Bibliography. Giannini & Simmons (2007a), Heaney, Balete et al. (1998), Heaney, Tabaranza et al. (2006), Kock (1969b), Mildenstein (2016c), Rickart et al. (1999).

Figures

15. Brooks's Dayak Fruit Bat (Dyacopterus brooksi), 16. Common Dayak Fruit Bat (Dyacopterus spadiceus), 17. Philippine Large-headed Fruit Bat (Dyacopterus rickarti), 18. Blanford’s Fruit Bat (Sphaerias blanfordi), 19. Bornean Spotted-winged Fruit Bat (Balionycteris maculata), 20. Malayan Spotted-winged Fruit Bat (Balionycteris seemundi), 21. Bornean Pygmy Fruit Bat (Aethalops aequalis), 22. Common Pygmy Fruit Bat (Aethalops alecto), 23. Common Swift Fruit Bat (Thoopterus nigrescens), 24. Suhaniah’s Swift Fruit Bat (Thoopterus suhaniahae), 25. Mindanao Pygmy Fruit Bat (Alionycteris paucidentata), 26. Fischer’s Pygmy Fruit Bat (Haplonycteris fischeri), 27. Luzon Pygmy Fruit Bat (Otopteropus cartilagonodus), 28. Salim Ali’s Fruit Bat (Latidens salimaliz), 29. Sundaic Black-capped Fruit Bat (Chironax melanocephalus), 30. Sulawesi Black-capped Fruit Bat (Chironax tumulus), 31. Lucas’s Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Penthetor lucasu)

Distribution. Known only from C Mindanao on Mt Kitanglad and neighboring Kalatungan Mt Range.