Myonycteris angolensis smithii ( Thomas, 1908 )

Decher, Jan, Norris, Ryan W., Abedi-Lartey, Michael, Oppong, James, Hutterer, Rainer, Weinbrenner, Martin, Koch, Martin, Podsiadlowski, Lars & Kilpatrick, C. William, 2021, A survey of small mammals in the Volta Region of Ghana with comments on zoogeography and conservation, Zoosystema 43 (14), pp. 253-281 : 267-268

Myonycteris angolensis smithii ( Thomas, 1908)

Rousettus smithi Thomas, 1908: 375 .

COMMON NAME. — Angolan Fruit Bat.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary • 2 ♀; SMF 89667 + 92121. Apesokubi • 1 ♀; SMF 92122. Kyabobo NP • 1♀; SMF 92123. Liati-Wote • 2 ♀; SMF 92124 + 92125 .

REMARK

We follow Nesi et al. (2013) in the use of the name Myonycteris Matschie, 1899 instead of Lissonycteris K. Andersen, 1912 for this fruit bat. Myonycteris angolensis smithii has previously been recorded in the Volta Region from Leklebi Agbesia, Akaniem, and Odomi Jongo ( Bergmans 1997) and in neighboring Togo from Bismarckburg, Ahoué-houé, Aledjo, Odjolo, Pewa, and the Région d’Atakpamé ( De Vree et al. 1969, 1970; Robbins, 1980; Grubb et al. 1998). Myonycteris a. smithii appears to be a relatively common forest and forest edge species throughout the Ghana-Togo Highlands and does not appear too affected by the widespread forest fragmentation.Most specimens in Ghana, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire have been recorded from the forest savanna mosaic and dry forests, but only a few from evergreen rain forest ( Fahr 1996). We captured no males and only one female during the dry season in 1999 versus eight females from four localities in 2001. This may resemble the migration and possibly sexual segregation in this species observed at Mount Nimba, Liberia ( Wolton et al. 1982) but details have to be verified for the Ghana-Togo Highlands. This fruit bat quickly attenuates to human handling. A female which stayed around our field camp at Apesokubi after release readily took banana pieces from our hands while hanging on a laundry line. An ectoparasite found on a M. s. smithii from Liati-Wote was a male Dipseliopoda biannulata (Oldyroyd, 1953) [ Diptera : Nycteribiidae ].

CONSERVATION STATUS. — Myonycteris angolensis is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (as Lissonycteris angolensis (Bocage, 1898)) . Though not strictly a high forest species, it seems to be associated with dry forest of different types or gallery and island forests in the savanna zone and may depend on the existence of forest remnants in the Volta Region to survive.