Pteropus personatus, Temminck, 1825

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

135.

Moluccan Masked Flying Fox

Pteropus personatus

French: Roussette masquée / German: Maskenflughund / Spanish: Zorro volador enmascarado

Other common names: Masked Flying Fox, Masked Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Pteropus personatus Temminck, 1825 ,

“I'lle de Ternate [= Ternate Island],” Molucca Islands, Indonesia .

Some DNA sequence data indicate a position basal or outside Pteropus . Pteropus personatus is the only member of personatus species group. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.p.personatusTemminck,1825—NorthMoluccaIs(HalmaheraandObigroups),Indonesia.RecordsfromSulawesihaveturnedouttobeincorrect.

P. p. acityae Wiantoro & Maryanto, 2016 — Raja Ampat Is (Gag), Indonesia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 124-149- 2 mm (tailless), ear 19-5-22- 3 mm, hindfoot 31-33- 5 mm, forearm 86-98- 5 mm; weight 92-153 g. Greatest lengths of skulls are 40-1-47- 5 mm. The Moluccan Masked Flying Fox is small, with buff white facial mask sharply defined against blackish background, white mustache extending over cheek and up to eyes, middle nasalstripe, and large post-ocular stripe. Ears are oval or rounded and slightly longer than muzzle. Crown, back of head, neck, and parts of chest are straw yellow. Rest of chest, belly, and flanks are pale wood-brown. Back is brownish gray to silvery white, with creamy tinge. Furis soft and dense, thinning out along arms. Claw on index finger is well developed. Wing membranes are mostly unpigmented, with mottled appearance, being whitish toward leading edges and tips of wings. Skull is small, with strong basicranial deflection, thin rostrum, very large orbits with long recurved postorbital processes, weak zygomatic arches, rather wide palate, and globose braincase with separate temporal lines. Body and coronoid process of mandible are weak; angle is wide and rounded. On average, skull of subspecies acityae is smaller. Dental formula for most species of Plempusis 12/2, C 1/1, P 3/3, M 2/3 (x2) = 34. Teeth are reduced in size, especially molars. Inner lower incisors are much smaller than outer ones. Cingulum of C' and C, is very weak. Canines are thin and long, and cheekteeth are very small and generally low.

Habitat. Forests and gardens with durian ( Durio zibethinus, Malvaceae ), nutmeg ( Myristica fragrans, Myristicaceae ), and clove trees ( Syzygium aromaticum, Myrtaceae ).

Food and Feeding. The Moluccan Masked Flying Fox eats fruits of introduced spiked pepper ( Piper aduncum, Piperaceae ). Generally weak dentition and gracile skull suggest diets of soft fruits and perhaps flower products.

Breeding. Lactating and pregnant Moluccan Masked Flying Foxes were found on Ternate in January.

Activity patterns. Moluccan Masked Flying Foxes roost in the canopy during the day and become active at dusk. A specimen was caught from a roost in a plantation of pawpaw ( Asimina , Annonaceae ) trees. During sleep, conspicuous head is hidden between wings for camouflage.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Several individuals visit a feeding tree, but branches with many fruits are defended against conspecifics. During feeding and flight, Moluccan Masked Flying Foxes can be recognized by their vocalizations that alternate between birdlike whistling and typical flying fox chatter.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Hunting of Moluccan Masked Flying Foxes does not seem to be a major threat now. Nevertheless, very little is known about the Moluccan Masked Flying Fox, and there are no records from protected areas. Extensive surveys on population size and effects of bushmeat trade and forest loss and degeneration on population and distribution are necessary. Protection of roosting places and encouraging local communities to conserve nature should be developed.

Bibliography. Almeida et al. (2014), Andersen (1912b), Bergmans (2001), Bergmans & Rozendaal (1988), Dobson (1878), Flannery (1995a), Mickleburgh et al. (1992), Simmons (2005), Temminck (1825), Tsang (2015, 2016), Wiantoro & Maryanto (2016).

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. P.p.personatusTemminck,1825—NorthMoluccaIs(HalmaheraandObigroups),Indonesia.RecordsfromSulawesihaveturnedouttobeincorrect. P. p. acityae Wiantoro & Maryanto, 2016 — Raja Ampat Is (Gag), Indonesia .