Acerodon macklotii (Temminck, 1837)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 135-136

134.

Sunda Flying Fox

Acerodon macklotii

French: Acérodon de Macklot / German: Sunda-Flughund / Spanish: Zorro volador de Macklot

Other common names: Sunda Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Pteropus macklotii Temminck, 1837 ,

“Timor.”

Five subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

A.m.macklotiiTemminck,1837—ELesserSundaIs(Timor,includingRoti).

A.m.alorensisK.Andersen,1909—ELesserSundaIs(Alor).

A.m.flovesii].E.Gray,1870—LesserSundaIs(Sumbawa,Moyo,andFlores).

A.m.gilvusK.Andersen,1909—LesserSundaIs(Sumba).

A. m. prajae Sody, 1936 — W Lesser Sunda Is (Lombok).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 230 mm (tailless), ear 32-34 mm, hindfoot 46 mm, forearm 139-148 mm; weight 518 g (mean). Greatest lengths of skulls are 69-72 mm. Subspecies alorensis is larger and has forearm length of ¢. 156 mm. Eyes of the Sunda Flying Fox are large, with light yellow-brown irises. Subspecies vary greatly in pelage color but generally are various shades of chocolate-brown, with sides of head darker than crown and golden buffy mantle. Males and females are dichromatic, and females are significantly paler overall. Rump and thighs are darkest brown, with occasional golden buffy flecks. Bases of hairs are dark brown to amber-brown, with some yellow tips and silvery hairs. Males have glandular neck tufts that are tawny ocher, with surrounding paler fur and deep rufous brown bases. Fur is generally woolly. Uropatagium is reduced; calcar is small. Wing membranes are dark brown to black and originate from sides of body, slightly above medial plane. Skull is typical pteropine and moderately robust, with short narrow rostrum, small orbits, low broad sagittal crest, and rather thick mandible. Palate notch is notable. The Sunda Flying Fox has heavier dentition than closely related Sulawesi Flying Fox (A. celebensis ), with similar structure of premolars and molars, but inner basal ledges of P» M,, and M,are slightly broader and longer, and anterointernal cingulum of P, is more developed, often forming distinctly differentiated small tubercle. P' is early deciduous.

Habitat. Coastal habitats from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 450 m.

Food and Feeding. On Timor, the Sunda Flying Fox feeds on young fruit of coconut palms and multiple species of figs. It was seen flying in crowns of coconut palms and approached crowns from below before alighting nearfruit. When multiple individuals landed on the same tree,territorial behavior was observed along with loud screeches, and the dominant individual drove others away. The Sunda Flying Fox was also observed foraging with Wallacean Gray Flying Foxes ( Pteropus griseus ), Large Flying Foxes ( P. vampyrus ), and Western Naked-backed Fruit Bats ( Dobsonia peronii ).

Breeding. On Timor, male Sunda Flying Foxes with developed testes were collected in March and females with embryos in March (7 mm) and May (25 mm).

Activity patterns. Sunda Flying Foxes are nocturnal and remain in roosts during the day. They emerge near sunset when it is still rather light out. They have occasionally been observed roosting in disturbed landscapes (e.g. orchards, gardens, and secondary forests) and at times with another flying fox species (e.g. Large Flying Foxes).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Colonies of Sunda Flying Foxes can contain ¢.300-500 individuals in crowns of large trees in areas with minimal disturbance. On Timor, they were observed roosting as a colony in large, non-fruiting fig trees at the edge of a forest near a village. Defoliated trees suggest that the colony had occupied the site for an extended period of time. When emerging at sunset, they have been seen leaving in groups of 2-6 individuals, rarely flying close to one another.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Sunda Flying Fox is projected to undergo population decline of more than 30% in the next three generations. It has no legal protection. Disturbance and roost loss are primary threats, and logging threatens to deplete forests. Mangrove forests have declined due to conversion for shrimp aquaculture. As mangroves disappear, formation of large roosting colonies will likely decrease because they are some of the only habitats left with low levels of human disturbance. Deforestation and logging also threaten stability of foraging sites.

Bibliography. Andersen (1912b), Corbet & Hill (1992), Goodwin (1979), Mildenstein (2016f), Musser et al. (1982).

Figures

127. Wallace's Stripe-faced Fruit Bat (Styloctenium wallacei), 128. Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruit Bat (Styloctenium mindorensis), 129. Small-toothed Fruit Bat (Neopteryx frosti), 130. Sulawesi Flying Fox (Acerodon celebensis), 131. Talaud Flying Fox (Acerodon humilis), 132. Golden-capped Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus), 133. Palawan Flying Fox (Acerodon leucotis), 134. Sunda Flying Fox (Acerodon macklotii), 135. Moluccan Masked Flying Fox (Pleropus personatus), 136. Lombok Flying Fox (Pteropus lombocensus), 137. Little Red Flying Fox (Pteropus scapulatus), 138. Big-eared Flying Fox (Pteropus macrotis), 139. Gilliard’s Flying Fox (Pteropus gilliardorum), 140. Sanborn’s Flying Fox (Pleropus mahaganus), 141. Dwarf Flying Fox (Pteropus woodfordi), 142. Pohnpei Flying Fox (Pteropus molossinus), 143. Chuuk Flying Fox (Pteropus pelagicus)

Subspecies and Distribution. A.m.macklotiiTemminck,1837—ELesserSundaIs(Timor,includingRoti). A.m.alorensisK.Andersen,1909—ELesserSundaIs(Alor). A.m.flovesii].E.Gray,1870—LesserSundaIs(Sumbawa,Moyo,andFlores). A.m.gilvusK.Andersen,1909—LesserSundaIs(Sumba). A. m. prajae Sody, 1936 — W Lesser Sunda Is (Lombok).