Pteropus lombocensis, Dobson, 1878

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

136.

Lombok Flying Fox

Pteropus lombocensis

French: Roussette de Lombok / German: Lombok-Flughund / Spanish: Zorro volador de Lombok

Taxonomy. Pteropus lombocensis Dobson, 1878

“Lombock [= Lombok] Island,” Lesser Sundas, Indonesia .

Pteropus lombocensis is the only member of lombocensis species group. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.l.lombocensisDobson,1878—WLesserSundaIs(LombokandSumbawa).

P.l.heudeiMatschie,1899—LesserSundaIs(Flores,Lembata,Pantar,andAlor).

P. l. salottii Kitchener, 1995 — E Lesser Sunda Is (Timor).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 150-180 mm (tailless), ear 26-28 mm, hindfoot 37-41 mm, forearm 110-122 mm; weight 215-360 g. Greatest lengths of skulls are 52-55 mm and tibias 49-52 mm. There is moderate size variation among islands: nominate lombocensis is larger than heudei, particularly in dentition, and salottii is smallest of the three subspecies. Crown of the Lombok Flying Fox is tawny to ocherous. Mantle, throat, and upper chest can be cinnamon to rufous ( lombocensis ) or buffy to cream yellow (heudei). In some males, tufts of stiff glandular hair occur on either side of neck. Ears are moderate in length, broad with narrowly rounded tips, and hairless except at bases. Bases of hairs are brown to dark brown. Dorsum is pale or dark brown, with some specimens being cinnamon-russet and darkening near rump. Fur is short and adpressed on back, except at rump whereit is slightly wavy. Venter is much paler than dorsum and is almost tawny. Forearm is naked, except for thinly spread line of adpressed hairs on outer side along membrane. In contrast, femur is completely furred, and tibia is furred only dorsally but not ventrally. Wing membranes are brown. The Lombok Flying Fox can be distinguished from the Wallacean Gray Flying Fox ( P. griseus ) by its smaller size, particularly shorter rostrum, zygomatic breadth, and forearm length. Skull is typical pteropine; sagittal crest is undeveloped and very low, with front of orbit above posterior one-half of P*. Postorbital processes and zygomatic arch are long and slender. Coronoid height of mandible is about the length of lower tooth row. Palate ridges: 5 + 6 + 3. M, and M* are much reduced. Reduced M? and I, are smaller than I and M, is even smaller than the other reduced dentition. C' and C, have well-developed narrow cingulum. P! is rather rudimentary. M' is twice as long as it is broad. P| is 1-2-5 times larger than L,. Posterior ledge of P° and P* are present but short and not very clearly apart from tooth, with small notch posteroexternally at base of main cusp in P® and ledge of P* extending back posteroexternally. Posterior ledges of P, and P, are short and not well defined from tooth.

Habitat. Lowland tropical forests up to elevations of ¢. 880 m. Habitats of the Lombok Flying Fox are severely fragmented in the Lesser Sundas due to logging post-World War11.

Food and Feeding. There have been anecdotal reports of the Lombok Flying Fox feeding in plantations of cultivated plants (e.g. mangoes).

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Lombok Flying Foxes are crepuscular and nocturnal. Their activity patterns are suspected to be typically pteropodine. No foliage roosts have been recorded.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Lombok Flying Fox is solitary, making it difficult to track.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Information on ecology, population status, and habitat preferences of the Lombok Flying Fox is insufficient to fully understand its threats. Its likely preferred habitat (i.e. tropical lowland forest) is threatened by logging. Protected areas are usually small, remnant forests are relatively fragmented, and lowland forests are underrepresented in protected areas. The Lombok Flying Fox is hunted as a snack for drinking parties on Lombok, although impact on the population is unknown due to lack of data on frequency and volume of hunting. Hunters seek individuals in forest fragments with known foraging sites and occasionally use an individual as bait by making it call near edges of forest fragments.

Bibliography. Almeida et al. (2014), Andersen (1912b), Corbet & Hill (1992), Kitchener & Maryanto (1995), Kitchener, Packer & Maharadatunkamsi (1995), Monk et al. (1997), Simmons (2005), Tsang (2016e).

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.l.lombocensisDobson,1878—WLesserSundaIs(LombokandSumbawa). P.l.heudeiMatschie,1899—LesserSundaIs(Flores,Lembata,Pantar,andAlor). P. l. salottii Kitchener, 1995 — E Lesser Sunda Is (Timor).