Nyctimene vizcaccia, Thomas, 1914

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 120

108.

Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bat

Nyctimene vizcaccia

French: Nyctiméne d'Umboi / German: Umboi-Réhrennasenflughund / Spanish: Nyctimeno de Umboi

Other common names: Bismarck Tube-nosed Bat, Torresian Tube-nosed Bat, Umboi Tube-nosed Bat

Taxonomy. Nyctimene vizcaccia Thomas, 1914 ,

“Ruk [= Umboi] Island,” Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea .

Nyctimene vizcaccia 1s in the albiventer species group. As currently recognized, it likely includes multiple species and might also include N. malaitensis as a subspecies or synonym. Subspecies bougainville has been variously included as a subspecies or a distinct species (including N. malaitensis ), and N. vizcaccia would often be included as a synonym or subspecies of N. albiventer . Nyctimene vizcaccia has also been included under N. cephalotes , but this is no longer accepted. Nyctimene vizcaccia includes bougainville as a subspecies tentatively here, although they are likely distinct species. Taxonomy of species of Nyctimene in the Solomon Islands and throughout the overall distribution of Nyctimene is currently jumbled, confused, and requires additional revision (which is currently underway by N. Irwin). Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.v.vizcacciaThomas,1914—AdmiraltyIs(Manus)andBismarckArchipelago(NewIreland,NewBritain,andUmboiIs).

N. v. bougainville Troughton, 1936 — Solomon Is (Buka, Bougainville, Fauro, Choiseul, Kolombangara, New Georgia, Vangunu, Santa Isabel, and Guadalcanal).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 74- 3-115 mm, tail 15-25- 5 mm, ear 11- 5-16 mm, hindfoot 11-22- 2 mm, forearm 51- 6-67 mm; weight 27-5-55- 5 g. Head of the Umboi Tubenosed Fruit Bat is broad, with deep face, broad, bluntly pointed ears, and tubular divergent nostrils. Eyes are large, with amberirises; there are green circlets around eyes, with green lines connecting them to tubular nostrils (only in vizcaccia ). Pelage is thick and woolly. Dorsal pelage is mottled brown and gray, with distinctive thin dark blackish mid-dorsal stripe stretching from crown of head (or from between shoulders in some bougainville specimens) to base oftail. Ventral pelage is uniform pale gray-brown. There is yellow spotting on wings and ears (ears sometimes not spotted); wings are dark brown. Second digit of wing has a claw, and wing attaches at second digit of foot. Tail is very short, black, and wrinkled, and narrow uropatagium connects at base and stretches to calcar at ankles. Claws are brown with white tips. Skull and mandible are robust, rostrum is short, zygomatic width is rather large, and distal parts of premaxillae do not project forward below nasal opening. Single lower incisor is completely deciduous,falling out before adulthood; lower molars are broad and rounded in dorsal view; C, replaces incisors and is long and powerful; P,is elongated and longer than P, and P; inner and outer cusps of P, and P’ are nearly completely fused; and M,is subequal in length to P,.

Habitat. Commonly primary closed-canopy tropical moist forests and rarely secondary forests and plantations from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 1800 m.

Food and Feeding. The Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bat primarily eats figs.

Breeding. Young Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bats were captured in May-June on New Britain and pregnant females with single embryos in February on New Ireland.

Activity patterns. Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bats roost in foliage during the day and forage at night. An individual was observed roosting in an understory shrub in primary forest 1-5 m aboveground on New Britain.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bats are solitary.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is relatively widespread and common, butits threats are not well known. It might be threatened by logging because it does not seem to do well in secondary or disturbed habitats. Additional research is needed on its ecology, threats, and taxonomy.

Bibliography. Bergmans (2001), Bonaccorso (1998), Colgan & Costa (2002), Flannery (1995a), Hamilton (2008d), Macaranas etal. (2003).

Figures

95. African Straw-colored Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum), 96. Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bat (Eidolon dupreanum), 98. Steadfast Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Paranyctimene tenax), 99. Broad-striped Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene aello), 100. Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene cyclotis), 101. Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene certans), 102. Happy Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene wrighiae), 103. Lesser Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene varius), 104. Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene albiventer), 105. Dragon Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene draconilla), 106. Demonic Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene masalai), 107. Malaita Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene malaitensis), 108. Umboi Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene vizcaccia), 109. Island Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene major), 110. Philippine Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene rabori), 111. Pallas’s Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene cephalotes), 112. Keast’s Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene keasti), 113. Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene robinsont)

Subspecies and Distribution. N.v.vizcacciaThomas,1914—AdmiraltyIs(Manus)andBismarckArchipelago(NewIreland,NewBritain,andUmboiIs). N. v. bougainville Troughton, 1936 — Solomon Is (Buka, Bougainville, Fauro, Choiseul, Kolombangara, New Georgia , Vangunu, Santa Isabel, and Guadalcanal).