Megaloglossus azagnyi, Nesi, Kadjo & Hassanin, 2012

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 91

50.

Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat

Megaloglossus azagnyi

French: Mégaloglosse dAzagny / German: Westlicher Afrika-Langzungenflughund / Spanish: Megaloglosus de Azagny

Other common names: Azagnyi Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Megaloglossus azagnyi Nesi, Kadjo & Hassanin in Nesi et al, 2012,

“ Cote d’Ivoire [= Ivory Coast], Lagunes region, Azagny National Park, 06°13’007"N [sic], 0 5°01'532"W [sic], elevation 125 m.”

Megaloglossus azagny : and M. woermanni differ by 4.9-5-7% in their cytochrome-b mtDNA sequences and 0-3-0-4% in their nDNA sequences, leading to an estimated divergence time of c.1-6 million years ago. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Africa from Guinea to Togo, E border ofits distribution area formed by Dahomey Gap or Cameroon Mts. Specimens from Benin and Nigeria still need to be reinvestigated to confirm their identity.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 64-82 mm (tailless), ear 13-15 mm, forearm 38-42 mm; weight 9-14 g. The Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat has long pointed muzzle; large brown eyes; pointed ears at tips without any basal ear patches; and long (20-40 mm), narrow (5 mm), brush-tipped tongue adapted for lapping nectar. General external dimensions are similar to those of the Eastern Woermann'’s Fruit Bat ( M. woermanni ), but cranial dimensions are smaller. Adult males lack epaulettes; dorsum is generally uniformly dark brown; hairs are pale brown at bases and dark brown toward tips; and pelage is soft, moderately dense, and mid-dorsally 6-8 mm. Venterisslightly paler than dorsum. Adult males have collar of long, white, cream-colored hair running from sides of neck across throat; hairs are very thin at bases and thicker throughout their full lengths and grow in small clusters. Wings have claw on second digits; membranes are dark brown, attaching to second or third toe or between them; third finger is longer than fifth; and toes are rarely weakly webbed. Skull is delicate, with strong basicranial deflection, long and thin rostrum, and very rounded braincase. Mandible is weak, with salient symphysis. Dental formula for all species of Megaloglossusis 12/2, C1/1,P 3/3, M 2/3 (x2) = 34. Teeth are generally very weak except for long canines; C, is slanted outward; and cheekteeth are low and narrow, with only cusp on labial ridge.

Habitat. Old growth or secondary lowland tropical moist forests, swamp forests, and forest-grassland mosaic from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 760 m.

Food and Feeding. The Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat is nectarivorous, but pollen is also eaten. It lands on or near flowers to feed, and tongue moves in and out of flower corolla ¢.7 times/second, scooping up nectar. It will also hover in front of flowers for fractions of a second to drink nectar. Flowers visited for food (nectar and pollen) include Spathodea campanulata ( Bignoniaceae ), Maranthes sp. (Chrysobalanaceae) , Hymenocardia sp. (Phyllanthaceae) , Parkia bicolor ( Fabaceae ), and Musa sp. (Musaceae) .

Breeding. Female Western Woermann’s Fruit Bats collected in Ivory Coast were possibly lactating in May and July.

Activity patterns. In Tai National Park ( Ivory Coast), the Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat was mainly captured in understory and reported flying between feeding bouts within 2 m aboveground. Roosting intervals varied from less than one minute to more than 30 minutes. When ambient temperature drops to less than 28°C, individuals enter torpor.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat roosts in foliage during the day and can be found hanging freely from banana and plantain leaves and among foliage of bushes and sometimes in houses. On Mount Nimba ( Liberia), only males were captured, suggesting that they were roosting communally close by or that an all-male group was foraging in the area forat least several nights in a row. In [Lama Forest Reserve ( Benin), mean home ranges were 139 ha for females and 99-8 ha for males; foraging areas were also larger for females (39 ha) than males (12-3 ha).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat has a wide distribution and presumably large population, suggesting it is not declining fast enough to warrant a threatened category. Habitat loss and degradation might be local threats.

Bibliography. Bergmans (1997), Bergmans et al. (1974), Happold, D.C.D. (2013), Monadjem (2016b), Monadjem, Richards & Denys (2016), Nesi et al. (2013), Rosevear (1965), Weber et al. (2009), Wolton et al. (1982).

Figures

50. Western Woermann’s Fruit Bat (Megaloglossus azagnyi), 51. Eastern Woermann’s Fruit Bat (Megaloglossus woermanni), 52. Angolan Soft-furred Fruit Bat (Lissonycteris angolensis), 53. Little Collared Fruit Bat (Myonycteris torquata), 54. Sao Tome Collared Fruit Bat (Myonycteris brachycephala), 55. Sierra Leone Collared Fruit Bat (Myonycteris leptodon), 56. Bergmans’s Collared Fruit Bat (Myonycteris relicta), 57. Broad-faced Fruit Bat (Plerotes anchietae), 58. Hammer-headed Fruit Bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), 59. Franquet’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomops franqueti), 60. Buttikofer’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomops buettikoferi), 61. Veldkamp’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Nanonycteris veldkampr), 62. Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus gambianus), 63. Peters’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus erypturus), 64. Angolan Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus angolensis), 65. Little Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus labiatus), 66. Minor Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus minor), 67. Ansell’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus anselli), 68. Wahlberg's Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi), 69. Dobson’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus dobsonu), 70. Sanborn’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus grands), 71. Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus pusillus), 72. Hayman’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus intermedius)

Distribution. W Africa from Guinea to Togo , E border ofits distribution area formed by Dahomey Gap or Cameroon Mts. Specimens from Benin and Nigeria still need to be reinvestigated to confirm their identity.