Myonycteris torquata, Dobson, 1878

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 92

53.

Little Collared Fruit Bat

Myonycteris torquata

French: Myonyctére a collier / German: Kleiner Halskrausenflughund / Spanish: Myonicterio pequeno

Taxonomy. Cynonycteris torquata Dobson, 1878 ,

“Africa ( Angola).” Restricted by W. Bergmans in 1976 to “Lower Cuanza Region” and further restricted by J. Crawford-Cabral in 1989 to “Golungo Alto,” Cuanza Norte Province, northern Angola.

Myonycteris torquata was originally considered to occur in sub-Saharan Africa from Sierra Leone to Ethiopia and southward to Angola and Zambia, but West African populations are now considered a distinct species, M. leptodon , previously considered a subspecies of M. torquata . Monotypic.

Distribution. From S Cameroon E to South Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia, and S to Republic of the Congo, DR Congo, N Angola, and extreme NW Zambia; an extralimital record from Beletta Forest, Ethiopia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 86-130 mm (males) and 90-114 mm (females), tail 4-10 mm (males) and 0-12 mm (females), ear 14-18 mm (males) and 18-21 mm (females), hindfoot 14-18 mm (males) and 16-22 mm (females), forearm 56-65 mm (males) and 55-66 mm (females); weight 28-43 g (females). Females average slightly larger and heavier than males but have slightly smaller skulls. Head lacks markings; muzzle is moderately long, stout, and dog-like; lips are thin and smooth; and cheeks are mildly expansible. Eyes are relatively large; irises are chestnut-brown; ears are short, dark brown with slightly pointed tips but without basal ear patches; and antitragus is distinct and triangular. Adult males lack epaulettes and mantle, but ruff of stiff thickened hairs is present; dorsum is generally rich dark rusty brown to medium yellowish brown and paler and grayer on shoulders, neck, and head; pelage is dense,silky, and mid-dorsally 6-7 mm, extending halfway or two-thirds along forearm,slightly on wing along leg but not reaching ankle or over entire uropatagium; and hairs are unicolored or with pale brownish gray bases. Venter is slightly paler than dorsum, medium brown to grayish brown or pale gray; noticeable woolly throat ruff is present in adults and juveniles of both sexes; and in adult males, ruff on chin, throat, and upper chest consists of coarse, brushy hairs that are seasonally stained yellow-orange by secretions from underlying glands. Young are darker than adults. Dark brown edge of prepuce is circumferential, while dark brown edge ofclitorideal pad is not. Wings have claw on second digits; membranes are dark brown from sides of body and attach to second toe; and toes are webbed to about middle of first phalanges. Skull is moderately robust, with basicranial deflection; rostrum is relatively long, tapering anteriorly; no sagittal crest; nuchal crest is weakly developed; and zygomatic arches are moderate. There are seven thick palatal ridges, of which two are post-dental; ridges 1-3 are not divided; and ridges 4-5 are divided. Dental formulais12/2,C1/1,P 3/3, M 2/3 (x2) = 34. Dentition is relatively weak; P!, P3, and M, are strongly reduced; M, is generally present; and P® and M' are oblong and subrectangular in occlusal view. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 36 and FNa = 66, with twelve pairs of large to small metacentric and submetacentric, four pairs of medium-sized subtelocentric, and one pair of small acrocentric autosomes. X-chromosomeis medium-sized subtelocentric, and Y-chromosome is small acrocentric.

Habitat. Generally rainforest and Afromontane-Afroalpine biotic zones in lowland tropical moist primary and secondary forests; grasslands of Rainforest-Savanna Mosaic, isolated in the Guinea Savanna and Zambezian Woodland biotic zones; and sometimes city gardens from sea level up to elevations of 1936 m.

Food and Feeding. In DR Congo, fruit consumption varied seasonally and included use of at least eleven plant genera in nine families.

Breeding. In Gabon, births occur in December—January and June. In Uganda, a pregnant female and a scrotal male were reported in March.

Activity patterns. In Gabon, Little Collared Fruit Bats initiated flight shortly after dark and foraged until midnight. They can be found hanging from branches ofshrubs or Combretum (Combretaceae) trees, where they are directly exposed to sunlight at ¢. 2 m aboveground. They occasionally occur in caves (e.g. in lowland forest of Mount Kupé, Cameroon).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Little Collared Fruit Bat can be found alone. Subadult males appear to be somewhat migratory.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Little Collared Fruit Bat has a wide distribution and presumably large population; it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to be listed in a higher category. Majorthreat is habitat loss from logging and conversion to agricultural use.

Bibliography. Bakwo & Kaleme (2016b), Bergmans (1976, 1997), Brosset (1966a), Crawford-Cabral (1989), Denys et al. (2009), Gembu Tungaluna (2012), Haiduk et al. (1980), Kityo & Kerbis Peterhans (1996), Monadjem, Taylor et al. (2010), Nesi et al. (2013), Primus et al. (2006), Rodriguez et al. (2006), Thomas & Henry (2013c).

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. From S Cameroon E to South Sudan , Uganda , and Ethiopia , and S to Republic of the Congo , DR Congo , N Angola , and extreme NW Zambia ; an extralimital record from Beletta Forest, Ethiopia .