Epomophorus pusillus, Peters, 1868

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 100-101

71.

Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bat

Epomophorus pusillus

French: Petit Epomophore / German: Zwerg-Epaulettenflughund / Spanish: Epomdforo pequeno

Other common names: Dwarf Epauletted Fruit Bat, Peter's Dwarf Epauletted Fruit Bat, Peters’s Lesser Epauletted

Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Epomophorus pusillus Peters, 1868 ,

“Westafrika [= West Africa], Gambia, Gabon, Yoruba.” Restricted by W. Bergmans in 1989 to Yoruba [= Yorubaland], Nigeria.

Micropteropus was described as a subgenus of Epomophorus to include pusillus , and K. Andersen in 1912 later considered it a valid genus with a single species, M. pusillus . Recent phylogenetic analyses by F. C. Almeida and others in 2016 recover pusillus deeply nested within typical Epomophorus , and it is therefore again included in Epomophorus , same treatment is given to E. intermedius . Monotypic.

Distribution. From Senegal and Gambia through sub-Saharan Africa E to S Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, extreme NE DR Congo, and Uganda to W Ethiopia, S to Gabon, S Republic of the Congo, and W DR Congo, also some isolated patches in S DR Congo and WC Angola.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 67-103 mm (males) and 67-85 mm (females), tail 0—4 mm, ear 13-19 mm, hindfoot 14-15 mm, forearm 46-55 mm (males) and 50- 56 mm (females); weight 20-43 g. Eyes are large;irises are light brown or chestnutbrown, sometimes with greenish tinge. Ears are brown and relativelylarge, with convex margins, rounded tips, and with pale yellow anterior and posterior light ear patches. Adult males have white epaulettes; adult females have curl of white hairs on shoulders of the same color and length as dorsal hairs. Dorsum is medium brown, reddish brown, grayish brown to pale brown; hairs are pale at bases; pelageis soft and dense, extending along forearm dorsally and ventrally, propatagium, and uropatagium; middorsal hairs are 9 mm; and hairs on nape are 8 mm. Venter is pale brown, sometimes off-white, but without clear mid-venter whitish patch; pelage is sparser than on dorsum, especially on throat (generally bare), and hairs are ¢. 6 mm. Wings have claw on second digits, and membranes are chocolate to dull brown and attach to second toes. Skull is short; rostrum is relatively short and broad; zygomatic arches are weak; braincase is rather globose, slightly deflected against facial axis; and post-dental palate is almostflat, with prominent rim. There are six thick palatal ridges; first ridge is hastate, with tip pointing backward; next ridges are well developed and divided by wide medial gap that narrows posteriorly in V-shaped notch in ridge 6; ridges 5-6 are post-dental; and ridge 4 is partially post-dental, with up to four additional narrow, serrated ridges at back of palate. Dentition is relatively weak, and diastema between C' and anterior upper premolar (P?) is less pronounced as in the other species of Epomophorus ; upper incisors are cylindrical or slightly tapering and pointed; C' is short and excavated posteriorly; P? is caniniform and almost touching P*; lower incisors are slightly bilobed; P| and next premolar (P,) are close together, the former ¢.50% the height of the latter; and M, is slightly longer than wide. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 35 (males) and FNa = 64, with 13 pairs of metacentric or submetacentric and three pairs of medium-sized subtelocentric autosomes. Male chromosomes are XYY,, consisting of medium-sized subtelocentric X-chromosome, small submetacentric Ychromosome, and smaller subtelocentric Y-chromosome.

Habitat. Primarily Guinea Savanna and Rainforest-Savanna Mosaic biotic zones, spreading into Sudan Savanna, Rainforest (penetrating along roads and other clearings), Somalia-Masai Bushland and Zambezian Woodland biotic zones from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 2000 m (mostly below 800 m).

Food and Feeding. Seasonally, Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bats feed on flowers, but main foods are soft fruits, selected opportunistically, sometimes even on the ground. They forage in the evening, generally before 22:00 h. All fruits eaten are sweet, succulent, and more than 20 mm in polar diameter and can weight up to 75% of the body weight of the Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bat. Each night, 1-3 fruits are eaten, generally at a feeding roost that can be 10-50 m away from the fruiting tree and used for several days. Large fruits are held between the foot, thumb, and second finger. Fruits from at least 16 genera in ten families are consumed. Flowers visited include species of Bignoniaceae ( Kigelia , Spathodea ), Malvaceae ( Adansonia , Ceiba ), Chrysobalanaceae ( Maranthes, Parinar ), and Fabaceae (Parkia) .

Breeding. Litter size of the Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bat is one. In Ivory Coast, reproductive cycle is bimodal polyestry, with postpartum estrus. Births occur at beginning of long wet season in March and c.6 months later (September) at beginning of short wet season. Gestation lasts ¢.6 months. Lactation lasts 7-8 weeks for young born in March and c.11 weeks for young born in September. Females mature at ¢.6 months and give birth at c.12 months. Males enter puberty at c.7 months and become adult by ¢.9 months.

Activity patterns. The Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bat is nocturnal. It roosts in branches of low trees and brush, often near water, and never high aboveground;it hangs freely, sometimes in places where it is hardly protected from the sun.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bats roost alone or in small groups up to a dozen individuals. They roost with Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bats ( E. gambianus ), where they occupied lower parts of trees. In Ivory Coast, males were commonly found calling in Sudan Savanna but uncommonly in regenerating Guinean Savanna patches, perhaps suggesting there are geographical or habitatrelated differences in social structure and mating behavior. In Nigeria, Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bats are nomadic, with densities depending on availability of food.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List (as Micropteropus pusillus ). The Lesser Epauletted Fruit Bat has a wide distribution and large population. It is probably not declining fast enough to be assigned to a higher category. It is locally threatened by habitat loss and overharvesting for food.

Bibliography. Almeida, FC. et al. (2016), Andersen (1912b), Ayivor et al. (2017), Bakwo & Kaleme (2016a), Bergmans (1989), Haiduk et al. (1980), Kock et al. (2002), Monadjem, Taylor et al. (2010), Nesi et al. (2011), Owen-Ashley & Wilson (1998), Thomas (1984), Thomas & Henry (2013b).

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 Senegal and Gambia through sub-Saharan Africa E to S Chad , Central African Republic , Sudan , South Sudan , extreme NE DR Congo , and Uganda to W Ethiopia , S to Gabon , S Republic of the Congo , and W DR Congo , also some isolated patches in S DR Congo and WC Angola .