Cynopterus minutus, G. S. Miller, 1906

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

9.

Minute Short-nosed Fruit Bat

Cynopterus minutus

French: Petit Cynoptere / German: Zwerg-Kurznasenflughund / Spanish: Cynéptero pequefo

Other common names: Forest Short-nosed Fruit Bat, Minute Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Cynopterus minutus G. S. Miller, 1906 ,

Nias Island, Sumatra.

Cynopterus minutus was previously considered a subspecies of C. brachyotis , and it might represent a species complex. Monotypic.

Distribution. Sumatra, including Nias I, Borneo, Java, and Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 76-83 mm, tail 10-12 mm, ear 14-1-15-1 mm, forearm 54-3-59-1 mm; weight 19-24.3 g. The Minute Short-nosed Fruit Bat is small, with white ear rims and wing fingers. Muzzle is very short, with short tubular nostrils; philtrum ends in two pads; and two large triangular pads occur on lower lip. Eyes are large; iris is brown. Ears are long and dark gray, points are slightly attenuated, and rims are white and thin. Head pelage is short and gray and extends onto nape and dorsum. Ruff is yellowish brown, extending on sides of neck and up to ear bases. Chest, belly, and flanks are gray. Uropatagium and tail are well developed, and calcar is short. Wing membranes are dark gray, index claw is present, wings originate on sides of body and attach to first toe, and metacarpals and phalanges are dorsally paler than membrane but not shiny white as in other species of Cynopterus . Laterally, skull has no basicranial deflection, rostrum is very short and relatively delicate, forehead gently slopes, orbit is large, braincase is rounded, zygomatic root is slightly above upper alveolar line, and zygoma is well developed and arched posteriorly. Dorsally, rostrum is wide; paranasal recesses are inflated, passing postorbital foramina; postorbital process is thin, directed posterolaterally; braincase is oval; temporal lines are faint; and nuchalcrest is inconspicuous. Ventrally, palate is flat, post-dental extension is long and converging, palatine spine is joined to sphenoidal crest, and ectotympanic small and wide anteriorly. Mandible is relatively weak, coronoid is thin and sloping, condyle is above lower alveolar line, and angle is round off and salient. Upper incisors are small; C! is small and straight; P' is minute; and first posterior cheekteeth (P*) are well developed and triangular, following teeth low with main cusp blunt and outline rectangular. Lower incisors are small; Cis small, slightly decurved; P| has triangular cusp; posterior cheekteeth are tall and decrease posteriorly; and M, is small.

Habitat. Primary lowland rainforest and secondary forest. The Minute Short-nosed Fruit Bat uses understory and subcanopy.

Food and Feeding. The Minute Short-nosed Fruit Bat is primarily frugivorous.

Breeding. Reproduction of the Minute Short-nosed Fruit Bat is seasonal, with continuous bimodal polyestry and postpartum estrus. Gestation lasts 5-6 months, with embryonic development delayed in early stages. Litter size one. Two birth peaks occur 5-7 months apart, both centered in two seasons ofless rainfall; lactation occurs in periods of heavy rainfall and greatest fruit production. Both sexes are sexually mature at c.7 months old, and females give birth for the first time at c.12 months of age; thereafter, females continuously reproduce, with two births a year.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Nevertheless, the Minute Short-nosed Fruit Bat is uncommon, and its population appears to be decreasing with its primary forest habitat. It might be a species complex, so taxonomic resolution is needed to define conservation status of different forms.

Bibliography. Benda (2010a), Campbell et al. (2007), Kitchener & Maharadatunkamsi (1991), Kofron (1997), Ruedas & Suyanto (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. Sumatra, including Nias I, Borneo, Java, and Sulawesi.