A survey of small mammals in the Volta Region of Ghana with comments on zoogeography and conservation
Author
Decher, Jan
Mammal Section, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn (Germany) and Department of Biology, University of Vermont. Burlington, Vermont 05405 (USA) j. decher @ leibniz-zfmk. de
Author
Norris, Ryan W.
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Lima, Lima, OH 45804 (USA) ryanwnorris @ gmail. com
ryanwnorris@gmail.com
Author
Abedi-Lartey, Michael
Golden Veroleum (Liberia) Inc., Monrovia Office: Unit 102, Wazni Building, 13 th Street and Tubman Boulevard, Sinkor, Monrovia (Liberia)
Author
Oppong, James
Wildlife Division, Forestry Commission, P. O. Box M 239, Accra (Ghana)
Author
Hutterer, Rainer
Mammal Section, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn (Germany)
Author
Weinbrenner, Martin
Philosophenweg 12, 77654 Offenburg (Germany)
Author
Koch, Martin
Department of Biogeography, University of Trier, Universitätsring 15, D- 54296 Trier (Germany)
Author
Podsiadlowski, Lars
Mammal Section, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn (Germany)
Author
Kilpatrick, C. William
Department of Biology, University of Vermont. Burlington, Vermont 05405 (USA) wkilpatr @ uvm. edu
wkilpatr@uvm.edu
text
Zoosystema
2021
2021-05-20
43
14
253
281
journal article
6523
10.5252/zoosystema2021v43a14
b1eb9973-f581-4a60-9c87-68b7ae4b3591
1638-9387
4783781
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7008A933-FE5E-405E-BBAD-8C06D2A8807D
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
].
FIG. 9. — Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat
Megaloglossus azagnyi
Nesi, Kadjo & Hassanin, 2013
, ♀ from Shiare schoolyard (SMF 92119). Photo: M. Weinbrenner 2001.
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.