Myonycteris leptodon, K. Andersen, 1908

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 93

55.

Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bat

Myonycteris leptodon

French: Myonyctére ouest-africain / German: Sierra-Leone-Halskrausenflughund / Spanish: Myonicterio de Sierra Leona

Other common names: Small-eared Collared Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Myonycteris leptodon K. Andersen, 1908 ,

“ Sierra Leone; Libera.”

Mpyonycteris leptodon was considered a subspecies or synonym of M. torquata . Analyses of cytochrome-b sequences in specimens from West Africa differed considerably (by 69 mutations) from M. ftorquata populations in Central Africa; therefore, the species name proposed by K. Andersen was reinstated. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Africa from Sierra Leone to SW Nigeria ( Niger Delta); however, E limits are not yet known with certainty, and identity of material from Nigeria needs to be confirmed.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 88-120 mm (males) and 98-118 mm (females), tail 0-11 mm (males) and 0-13 mm (females), ear 13-21 (males) and 15-19 mm (females), hindfoot 14-21 mm, forearm 57-65 mm (males) and 56-67 mm (females); weight 27-49 g (males) and 30-54 g (females). Head of the Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bat has no markings, muzzle is moderately long and stout, lips are thin and smooth, and cheeks are mildly expansible. Eyes are large; irises are brown. Ears are slightly shorter than those of congeners and lack basal ear patches; antitragus is distinct and triangular. Adult males lack epaulettes and mantle, but ruff of stiff hairs is present; dorsum is generally rich dark rusty brown to medium yellowish brown and paler and grayer on shoulders, neck, and head. Pelage is dense, silky, and mid-dorsally 6-7 mm, extending halfway or two-thirds of forearm,slightly on wing along leg but not reaching ankle, and over entire uropatagium; hairs are unicolored or with pale brownish gray bases. Venteris slightly paler than dorsum, medium brown to grayish brown or pale gray; noticeable woolly throat ruff is present in adults and young of both sexes; in adult males, ruff on chin, throat, and upper chest consists of coarse brushy hairs that are seasonally stained yellow-orange by secretions from underlying glands. Young are darker than adults. Wings have claw on second digits; membranes are dark brown and attach to second toes; and toes are webbed to about middle offirst phalanges. Skull is moderately robust, with basicranial deflection; rostrum is relatively medium-long, anteriorly narrower than in other species of Myonycteris ;, there is no sagittal crest; nuchal crest is weakly developed; and zygomatic arches are moderate. There are nine palatal ridges, of which four are thick and interdental and fifth is thin and interdental; ridges 1-3 are undivided, almost straight or barely curved; ridges 4-7 are divided and generally strongly curved; ridges 6-7 are often irregular or incomplete and serrated; and ridges 8 and 9 are always serrated and generally slightly divided in the middle. Dental formulais12/2,C1/1,P 3/3, M 2/3 (x2) = 34. M! 15 variable in size, from slightly larger than premolar to three times its size; supernumerary molars can be present in upper and lower tooth rows.

Habitat. Wide variety of forested habitats at elevations of 30-1350 m. In dry season (January-April), the Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bat is absent in savanna zones, but at the beginning of wet season (April-May), it can be found in moist Rainforest-Savanna Mosaic and drier Guinea Savanna biotic zones.

Food and Feeding. The Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bats ate 0-88- 1-6 g of food/g body weight/day. In Lamto projectfield station ( Ivory Coast), most frequently consumed fruit was Solanum verbascifolium ( Solanaceae ); two species of Ficus (Moraceae) and two species of Adenia (Passifloraceae) were also eaten. In Wango Fitini ( Ivory Coast), only fruits of Butyrospermum paradoxum ( Sapotaceae ) and Cola cordifolia ( Malvaceae ) were eaten.

Breeding. On Mount Nimba ( Liberia), pregnant females were reported in August— September, October-November, and January-March, suggesting an extended breeding season. In Ghana, two breeding seasons were reported: major peak in July-August and minor peak in March-April, suggesting seasonal bimodal polyestry. Two embryos of different size were found in a pregnant female captured near the Iti River ( Liberia).

Activity patterns. Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bats are presumably nocturnal and roost in foliage.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bat roosts alone or in small groups. In Ivory Coast,it displays a migratory or nomadic pattern according to rain patterns. At beginning of rainy season, both sexes migrate north, but females return earlier to rainforests, a process that appears to be irregular and unpredictable. Movements of females might be limited by costs of pregnancy and lactation.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bat has a wide distribution and presumably large population, and it probably is not declining fast enough to warrant a higher conservation category. Major threats are habitat loss and degradation due to conversion to agricultural use and harvesting of timber and firewood.

Bibliography. Bergmans (1976), Coe (1975), De Vree (1971), Decher et al. (2016), Hassanin et al. (2016), Monadjem (2016c¢), Nesi et al. (2013), Thomas (1982, 1983), Thomas & Henry (2013c), Verschuren (1977), Wolton et al. (1982), Yeboah (2007).

Figures

50. Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat (Megaloglossus azagnyi), 51. Eastern Woermann’s Fruit Bat (Megaloglossus woermanni), 52. Angolan Soft-furred Fruit Bat (Lissonycteris angolensis), 53. Little Collared Fruit Bat (Myonycteris torquata), 54. Sao Tome Collared Fruit Bat (Myonycteris brachycephala), 55. Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bat (Myonycteris leptodon), 56. Bergmans’s Collared Fruit Bat (Myonycteris relicta), 57. Broad-faced Fruit Bat (Plerotes anchietae), 58. Hammer-headed Fruit Bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), 59. Franquet’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomops franqueti), 60. Buttikofer’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomops buettikoferi), 61. Veldkamp’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Nanonycteris veldkampr), 62. Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus gambianus), 63. Peters’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus erypturus), 64. Angolan Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus angolensis), 65. Little Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus labiatus), 66. Minor Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus minor), 67. Ansell’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus anselli), 68. Wahlberg's Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi), 69. Dobson’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus dobsonu), 70. Sanborn’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus grands), 71. Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus pusillus), 72. Hayman’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus intermedius)

Distribution. W Africa from Sierra Leone to SW Nigeria ( Niger Delta); however, E limits are not yet known with certainty, and identity of material from Nigeria needs to be confirmed.