Nyctimene certans, K. Andersen, 1912

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 118

101.

Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bat

Nyctimene certans

French: Nyctiméne de montagne / German: Gebirgs-Réhrennasenflughund / Spanish: Nyctimeno montano

Other common names: Mountain Tube-nosed Bat

Taxonomy. Nyctimene certans K. Andersen, 1912 ,

“Mount Goliath, Dutch New Guinea,” Indonesia.

Nyctimene certans is currently in the cyclotis species group. It is often considered a subspecies or synonym of N. cyclotis , but morphological data support species status of these two taxa. New Britain populations that have been attributed to N. certans are only tentatively included here. Monotypic.

Distribution. New Guinea (N, C & E Mts) and tentatively Bismarck Archipelago (E New Britain I).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 806- 118 mm,tail 12-30 mm, ear 7-185 mm, hindfoot 11-24 mm, forearm 54- 8-69 mm; weight 33-48 g. Rostrum of the Mountain Tubenosed Fruit Bat is short, with long tubular divergent nostrils. Ears are rounded, with blunt tips, and thickened along tops; eyes are large, with dark reddish-brown irises. Dorsal pelage is grizzled grayish brown and browner on head, with almost indistinguishable ill-defined, short, thin dorsal stripe extending from mid-back to rump. Ventral pelageis paler dull cream. Wings and ears are dark brown; ears, tube nostrils, and wing digits have some yellow spotting. Second digit of wing is longer in the Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bat than in the Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (NN. ¢yclotis); second digit of wing has a claw, and wing attaches at second digit of foot. Tail is short, black, and wrinkled, and narrow uropatagium connects at base and stretches to calcar at ankles. Claws are black. Skull and mandible are robust. Single lower incisor is completely deciduous,falling out before adulthood; lower molars are broad and rounded in dorsal view; C, replaces incisors and is long and powerful; P, is elongate and longer than P, and P,; they have very broadly rounded dental arcade; and it differs from the Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat by having relatively shorter upper post-canine tooth row.

Habitat. Primary and secondary upper montane forests and gardens at elevations of 700-3000 m (typically 1600-2500 m).

Food and Feeding. The Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Batis frugivorous.

Breeding. Pregnant Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bats have been recorded in November and February in Morobe and the Eastern Highlands. Litters have one young.

Activity patterns. Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bats are nocturnal and roost in foliage.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bats roost alone or in pairs.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is seemingly widespread and relatively common, facing no major threats.

Bibliography. Colgan & Costa (2002), Donnellan et al. (1995), Flannery (1995a, 1995b), Helgen (2007a), Hutson, Suyanto, Helgen & Bonaccorso (2008b), Irwin (2017).

Figures

95. African Straw-colored Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum), 96. Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bat (Eidolon dupreanum), 98. Steadfast Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Paranyctimene tenax), 99. Broad-striped Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene aello), 100. Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene cyclotis), 101. Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene certans), 102. Happy Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene wrighiae), 103. Lesser Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene varius), 104. Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene albiventer), 105. Dragon Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene draconilla), 106. Demonic Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene masalai), 107. Malaita Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene malaitensis), 108. Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene vizcaccia), 109. Island Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene major), 110. Philippine Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene rabori), 111. Pallas’s Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene cephalotes), 112. Keast’s Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene keasti), 113. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene robinsont)

Distribution. New Guinea (N, C & E Mts) and tentatively Bismarck Archipelago (E New Britain I).