Cynopterus luzoniensis (Peters, 1861)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 66-67

8.

Peters’s Short-nosed Fruit Bat

Cynopterus luzoniensis

French: Cynoptére de Lugon / German: Peters-Kurznasenflughund / Spanish: Cyndptero de Luzon

Other common names: Peters’s Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Pachysoma luzoniense Peters, 1861 ,

Iriga, southern Camarines, Luzon, Philippines.

Cynopterus luzoniensis was previously considered an eastern subspecies of C. brachyotis . Sulawesi specimens assigned to C. luzoniensis do not group with Philippine specimens and might represent C. minor by P. Revilliod in 1911 (pending taxonomic recognition). Monotypic.

Distribution. Philippines, including Palawan I and Sulu Archipelago (Sibutu, Sanga-Sanga, and Bongao Is).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 95-108 mm,tail 9-14 mm, ear 14-20 mm, hindfoot 11-18 mm, forearm 57-68 mm; weight 26-45 g. Peters’s Short-nosed Fruit Bat is moderately small and grayish, with rimmed ears and white wing fingers. Muzzle is short; nostrils are short and tubular, with thickened rims; philtrum ends in paired pads; and lowerlip has two large triangular pads. Eyes are large; iris is chestnut-brown to olive-brown. Ears are moderately short and slightly attenuated at tip, and pinnae are pale brown, with white rim. Head pelage is moderately short and predominantly grayish; hairs are longer on nape and grayish brown. Ruff has long orange-brown hairs and more conspicuous on adult males. Chest and belly are brownish gray, with light brown tips on flank hairs. Tail is moderately long, uropatagium is well developed, and calcar is small. Wing membranes are dark grayish brown; index claw is present; and dorsum of metacarpals and phalanges of second to fifth wing digits are white. Laterally, skull lacks basicranial deflection, rostrum is short and slopes gently to forehead, orbit is large, braincase is rounded, zygomatic root is slightly above upper alveolar line, and zygoma is thin and arched posteriorly. Dorsally, rostrum is wide and short; paranasal recesses are inflated and surpass postorbital foramina; postorbital process is well developed and posterolaterally directed; there is little postorbital constriction; braincase is oval, with temporal lines; and nuchal crest is inconspicuous. Ventrally, palate is wide and flat; post-dental palate is long and converging posteriorly, with palatine spine joined to median sphenoidalcrest; and ectotympanic is wide anteriorly, abutted on its inner side by long entotympanic. Mandible is moderately developed with long sloping coronoid, condyle is above lower alveolarline, and angle is rounded off. Upper dentition has two small, moderately long incisors; C' is bulky at base, decurved, and relatively long, with small additional inner cusp; P' is minute; and posterior cheekteeth are well developed,laterally triangular, and rectangular in outline. Lower dentition has two small incisors; C, is small, almoststraight; P| is relatively long, with pointed crown; and posterior cheekteeth are relatively large and tall, anteriorly decurved, decreasing in height posteriorly, with variable frequently inconspicuous additional surface cusps. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FN = 58.

Habitat. All types of forest including primary rainforests, and disturbed forests; mangrove swamps; cultivated areas; orchards; gardens; and urban areas from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 1600 m. Peters’s Short-nosed Fruit Bat is dominant in secondary/ disturbed forests and relatively rare in primary forests; abundance declines with elevation. Understory and subcanopy are used.

Food and Feeding. Peters’s Short-nosed Fruit Batis primarily frugivorous and also eats flower products and leaves. On Panay Island,fruits from 27 genera in 18 families were eaten. Flowers from three genera in three families and leaves from Bischofia (Phyllanthaceae) were used to supplement diets.

Breeding. Female Peters’s Short-nosed Fruit Bats become pregnant at 6-8 months of age; males develop adultsized testes at c.12 months of age. Females give birth to a single young twice each year. On Negros Island, Philippines, numbers of pregnant females peaked in February but were recorded in January—August. Lactation has been recorded up to October. Longevity is estimated at 4-6 years (maximum occasionally c.8 years); maximum reproductive output per female is estimated at eleven offspring; and annual survival for subadults to adults is estimated at 60%.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Population trend is stable. Peters’s Short-nosed Fruit Bat is one of the most abundant bats in its distribution and occupies degraded habitats. It is considered an agricultural pest.

Bibliography. Alcala (1976), Campbell et al. (2007), Heaney et al. (2006), Heideman & Heaney (1989), Luft (2002), Mudar & Allen (1986), Revilliod (1911), Rickart et al. (1993), Rosell-Ambal, Kingston & Maryanto (2008).

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. Philippines , including Palawan I and Sulu Archipelago (Sibutu, Sanga-Sanga, and Bongao Is).