Megaerops ecaudatus (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 : 63

1.

Temminck’s Tailless Fruit Bat

Megaerops ecaudatus

French: Cynoptére écaudé / German: Temminck-Altwelt-Fruchtfledermaus / Spanish: Megaerop de Temminck

Other common names: Sunda Tailless Fruit Bat, Temminck'’s Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Pachysoma ecaudatum Temminck, 1837 ,

Padang, western Sumatra, Indonesia.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Malay Peninsula, N & W Sumatra, and Borneo; presence in NE India (Arunachal Pradesh) not confirmed.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 65-84 mm (tailless), ear 12:9-18 mm, hindfoot 8-9—11-2 mm; forearm 50-58 mm; weight 22-28 g. Rostrum of Temminck’s Tailless Fruit Bat is high and broad, with projecting nostrils, and large eyes. Males are slightly (¢.5%) smaller than females. Muzzle is short, deep wide, and thickened, with subtubular nostrils and pronounced philtrum. Eyes are large and bulging;iris is warm brown. Ears are long and oval, with translucent pale brown pinnae and darker rims,slightly attenuated at tps. Face is scarcely haired. Pelage is soft, uniformly pale brown with grayish hair bases on head and body, only slightly paler ventrally, and longer on throat, which can form indistinct ruff on males. Uropatagium is well developed, calcaris short, and tibia is short and slightly hairy dorsally. Index claw is present. Wing membranes are brown, from sides of body and inserted at first toe. Skull lacks basicranial deflection and characteristic deep rostrum; projecting nasals and premaxillae configure a narial opening forwardly produced as a short tube and heart-shaped in rostral view. Orbitis large, and rim is salient, elevated above level of nasals; anterior zygomatic root is above alveolar line; zygoma is arched; and braincase is rounded. Paranasal recesses are inflated, reaching postorbital foramen; postorbital process is long and projects posterolaterally. Palate is flat; post-dental palate is long, with median spine. Ectotympanic is wide anteriorly and internally edged by ribbon-like entotympanic. Mandibleis thin, with tall sloping coronoid; condyle is above level of lower alveolar line; and angle is produced ventrally. Dental formula for all species of Megaeropsis 12/1, C1/1,P 3/3, M 1/2 (x2) = 28. Upper dentition has small, elongated incisors; C! is small and decurved, with convex mesial surface; P' and other upper cheekteeth are small to medium in size, decreasing posteriorly. Lower dentition has minute I, (I, absent); C, is small, with bases converging medially; P, is peg-like; posterior cheekteeth are as tall as canine and then decrease in size posteriorly; and M, is peg-like. Seven interdental, undivided palatal ridges (only middle ones are slightly notched) are smooth and slightly swollen, eighth ridge is divided and thin, and last two ridges are spaced from the former ones, divided and thin. Diploid number is 2n = 26, with ten metasubmetacentric,five subtelocentric, and six acrocentric chromosomes. In Thailand, 2n = 24 as result of a Robertsonian translocation.

Habitat. Tropical moist broadleaf forests, including Tenasserim-South Thailand semievergreen rainforests, and lowland and montane rainforests.

Food and Feeding. Frugivore. Temminck’s Tailless Fruit Bat is frugivorous and a transient species that uses “big bang” crops of large canopy trees, where individuals form large feeding aggregations, often with other pteropodids. Intermittent captures indicate that resources are tracked over time in a given region. Fruits from Elaeocarpus stipularis ( Elaeocarpaceae ), Ficus magnoliaefolia, I globosa ( Moraceae ), Eugenia chlorantha ( Myrtaceae ), Strombosia javanica ( Strombosiaceae ), Pellacalyx saccardianus ( Rhizophoraceae ), Prunus polystachya ( Rosaceae ), and Palaquium obovatum ( Sapotaceae ) were eaten in lowland old-growth dipterocarp rainforest.

Breeding. Pregnant females predominantly occur in February but also March—-May and June. Females carrying dependent young were observed in November.

Activity patterns. Temminck’s Tailless Fruit Bat forms large feeding aggregations in fruiting trees with large crops. It forages in all levels below canopies but more commonly in subcanopies. While exploiting a fruiting tree, a male roosted near (c. 50 m) the tree high in the canopy.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Temminck’s Tailless Fruit Bat might be nomadic, moving roosting sites to follow availability of temporarily superabundant fruit.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Temminck’s Tailless Fruit Bat is uncommon but widespread. There are no major threats, but land use change, chiefly deforestation, is probably an ongoing threat.

Bibliography. Andersen (1912b), Bates, Bumrungsri, Suyanto & Francis (2008), Francis (1994), Giannini & Simmons (2007a), Harada, Minezawa et al. (1982), Hodgkison (2001), Hodgkison et al. (2004b), Jones, Bielby et al. (2009), Kingston et al. (2006), Kumaran et al. (2005), Olson et al. (2001), Srinivasulu & Srinivasulu (2012), Yong (1984).

Figures

1. Temminck’s Tailless Fruit Bat (Megaerops ecaudatus), 2. Javan Tailless Fruit Bat (Megaerops kusnotoi), 3. Ratanaworabhan’s Tailless Fruit Bat (Megaerops niphanae), 4. White-collared Fruit Bat (Megaerops albicollis), 5. Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus sphinx), 6. Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus brachyotis), 7. Horsfield’s Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus horsfieldui), 8. Peters’s Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynoplerus luzoniensis), 9. Minute Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus minutus), 10. Nusatenggara Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus nusatenggara), 11. Indonesian Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynoplerus titthaecheilus), 12. Lesser Musky Fruit Bat (Ptenochirus minor), 13. Greater Musky Fruit Bat (Plenochirus jagorn), 14. Mindanao Fruit Bat (Ptenochirus wetmorei)

Distribution. Malay Peninsula, N & W Sumatra, and Borneo; presence in NE India (Arunachal Pradesh) not confirmed.