Ptenochirus minor, Yoshiyuki, 1979

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 68

12.

Lesser Musky Fruit Bat

Ptenochirus minor

French: Cynoptére musqué / German: Kleiner Moschusflughund / Spanish: Ptenoquiro pequeno

Taxonomy. Ptenochirus minor Yoshiyuki, 1979 ,

Baracatan, Mount Talomo, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Philippines, in Mindanao faunal region in C & E Visayas Is (Samar, Biliran, Leyte, and Bohol), DinagatI, and Mindanao I.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 104-113 mm, til 7-12 mm, ear 19-22 mm, hindfoot 18-20 mm, forearm 70-78 mm; mean weight 50-1 g. The Lesser Musky Fruit Bat is medium-sized, with dark head and rusty ruff. Males are darker and slightly larger than females. Muzzle is moderately short and wide; nostrils are shortly tubular and divergent; philtrum reaches upperlip and ends in two pads; and two pads occur on lowerlip, lined with smaller papillae. Eyes are moderately large;iris is olive-brown. Ears are long, rounded, and uniformly grayish brown. Head is wide, pelage is dark gray, and nape and dorsum have grayish brown long hairs. Uropatagium is wide, and calcar is short. Ruff is rusty brown, more conspicuous in males, which have a gland producing oily secretion with characteristic musky cinnamon smell. Chest and belly are grayish brown. Wing membranes are blackish brown from sides of body and attach to first toe, and index claw is present. Skull lacks basicranial deflection; laterally, rostrum is moderately deep, strongly sloping to forehead; orbits are large; zygomatic root is well above upper alveolar line; zygomais well developed and arched posteriorly; and braincase is rounded. Dorsally, rostrum is wide; paranasal recesses are inflated, passing posteriorly postorbital foramina; postorbital process has thick base, projecting posterolaterally; postorbital constriction is marked; temporal lines join in low but marked sagittal crest; braincase is oval; and nuchal crest is well defined. Ventrally, palate is rather wide and flat; post-dental is long and converging; palatine spine joins sphenoidal crest; and ectotympanic is small and wide anteriorly, internally edged by long entotympanic. Mandible is moderately thick; coronoid is abruptly sloping; tip is wide; condyle is above lower alveolarline, and angle is round,salient, and well-marked. Dental formula for species of Ptenochirusis12/1,C1/1,P 3/3, M 1/2 (x2) =28.1' 1s long and spatulated; I? is short and small; C' is strong, almost straight, with accessory inner cusp and groove on convex anterior surface; P' is a spicule; and posterior cheekteeth are tall and shortly rectangular in outline, decreasing in height and more elongated in outline posteriorly. I, is deeply bifid (I, absent); C,is relatively small and decurved; P|is rather large and wide labiolingually; posterior cheekteeth are strong, tall, and shortly rectangular anteriorly, decreasing in height and more elongated in outline posteriorly, without surface cusps; and M, is peg-like.

Habitat. [.owland and montane primary rainforests from sea level to elevations of¢. 1600 m.

Food and Feeding. The Lesser Musky Fruit Bat is primarily frugivorous and relies heavily on figs ( Ficus spp. , Moraceae ) year-round. It also reportedly eats wild and cultivated bananas ( Musa , Musaceae ).

Breeding. Female Lesser Musky Fruit Bats give birth to one young synchronously in July-August, but data on other months are lacking.

Activity patterns. One male Lesser Musky Fruit Bat was found roosting in a primary forest on foliage of a shrub 2 m aboveground.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population of Lesser Musky Fruit Bat is presumably large and stable, but it is not commonly found in disturbed areas, which might indicate it is susceptible to decline due to deforestation.

Bibliography. Achondo et al. (2014), Giannini & Simmons (2007a), Heaney & Rabor (1982), Heaney et al. (2006), Jones, Bielby et al. (2009), Olson et al. (2001), Ong, Rosell-Ambal, Tabaranza, Heaney, Pedregosa, Warguez et al. (2008), Relox et al. (2014), Yoshiyuki (1979a).

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 , in Mindanao faunal region in C & E Visayas Is (Samar, Biliran, Leyte, and Bohol), DinagatI, and Mindanao I.