Eidolon dupreanum (Pollen in Schlegel & Pollen, 1866)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 115-116

96.

Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bat

Eidolon dupreanum

French: Roussette-paillée de Madagascar / German: Madagaskar-Palmenflughund / Spanish: Eidolon de Madagascar

Other common names: Madagascar Straw Colored Fruit Bat, Malagasy Straw-colored Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Pteropus dupreanus Pollen in Schlegel & Pollen, 1867,

type locality not given. Restricted by W. Bergmans in 1991 to “ Madagascar.”

Some authors consider Eidolon dupreanum a subspecies of E. helvum , but it is clearly distinct. Monotypic.

Distribution. Madagascar, W coastal and Central High Plateau; also on Nosy Be.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 190- 215 mm, tail 14-22 mm, ear 33-37 mm, hindfoot 39-40 mm, forearm 117- 5-134 mm; weight 285-300 g. Females are typically smaller and lighter than males. The Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bat has brownish dorsum, tawny olive venter, and bright orange-brown collar. Muzzle is nearly hairless and elongated, rhinarium is prominent, and nostrils are flush with long slender rostrum. Eyes are large; irises are raw umber. Ears are hairless posteriorly, with fur at their bases and elongated ovals and dark brown auricles, and antitragus is obsolete. Face is mostly hairless, with some short soft dark brown hairs around eyes extending onto rostrum. Short straw-colored pelage covers head and extends onto nape and dorsum. Adults usually have brown to deep tawny collar that is brighter and more pronounced in males. Throat, chest, and belly are fully haired, with same deep tawny pelage. Pelage extends over upper arm and slightly onto forearm and uppersurface of legs and uropatagium but not onto wing membrane. Uropatagium is split and extends partially off each leg; calcaris short and slightly haired dorsally. Tail is short, with 2-2-5 vertebrae protruding. Wings are long, pointed, somewhat narrow, and dark blackish brown. At rest, ends of wings are folded back, with tips folded in. Second phalanges of third and fourth digits lie flat against lower surface of wing. Wings extend from sides of dorsum close to spine and from back offirst toe. Second digit is clawed. Wing membranes extend from sides of dorsum and back of first toe. Metacarpal and first phalanx of first digit are within wing membrane. Skull has elongated rostrum, and nasals extend past canines while premaxillae do not. Premaxillae have distinct space between I? and C! when laterally viewed. Cranial foramina are larger than the African Straw-colored Fruit Bat ( E. helvum ), lacrimal foramen is deep, and infraorbital foramen is large. Foramen magnum is relatively wide. Braincase is less domed laterally and slightly more constricted posteriorly. Postorbital process extends from frontal but is not connected to jugal. Ectotympanic is produced laterally as short tube, which is distinctive of this genus. Palate broadens posteriorly and is widest between M* to M?, it then narrows at posterior border to width about equal to that between lingual edges of P4 to P4. Front of orbit is located above middle to posterior part of M'. On mandible, posterior margin between condyle and angle is practically straight, and angle is rounded. Ten palatal ridges are present: four anterior, three middle, and three posterior. Teeth are without special modifications, and no secondary cusps appear in canines or cheekteeth. Upper incisors are small, rounded, and subequalin size. Lower incisors are similar to uppers and usually in contact with each other and with canines. Molars contain a longitudinal median groove separating higher outer and lower inner ridge. All post-canine teeth are slightly separated.

Habitat. Humid, dry deciduous and spiny forests at 10-1200 m. The Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bat is rare or absent from forests without rocky outcrops used for roosting and survives in highly modified landscapes with minimal native vegetation.

Food and Feeding. Fruits of native and introduced plants are main dietary components of Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bats, but they also eat leaves and other plant parts. They appear to prefer native vegetation to introduced plants. It is known to eat 13 different types of fruits from 13 plant species in ten families, including Polyscias (Araliaceae) , llex ( Aquifoliaceae ), Ficus (Moraceae) , Passiflora (Passifloraceae) , Anthocleista (Gentianaceae) , Cassinopsis (Icacinaceae) , Allophylus (Sapindaceae) , Rubus (Rosaceae) , Solanum (Solanaceae) , and Psidium (Myrtaceae) . Pollen of 23 different taxonomic categories of flowersis used, principally baobabs ( Adansonia suarezensis and A. grandidieri) and kapok trees ( Ceiba pentandra), all Malvaceae . Madagascan Strawcolored Fruit Bats might be key pollinators of these endangered trees.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bats are nocturnal. They are known to aggregate in small colonies occasionally in tree foliage, but they are more often found in rock fissures and caves. They prefer high and long caves, with good buffering capacity for temperature and humidity. Individuals navigate in and out of roost cave structures, with an incipient form of echolocation based on clicks (peak frequencies of 11-3-16-2 kHz and durations of 0-16-0-3 milliseconds), emitted while leaving a cave in complete darkness.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bat might be migratory because of regular variation in occupancy and abundance of roosts. Colonies rarely reach more than 1000 individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Madagascan Straw-colored Fruit Bat is estimated to have undergone a population decline exceeding 30% over the past 20 years, mainly from extreme pressure from hunting, causing it to abandon roosts, with known examples of local extirpation of roosts sites. It is found along the coast and on the central high plateau; areas lacking records most likely reflect inadequate surveying efforts rather than true absence. It occurs in some protected areas; e.g., Isalo and Tsingy de Namoroka national parks and Ankarana and Cape Sainte Marie special reserves.

Bibliography. Andersen (1908a, 1912b), Andriafidison, Andrianaivoarivelo, Ramilijaona et al. (2006), Andriafidison, Cardiff et al. (2008b), Baum (1995), Bergmans (1991, 1997), Cardiff & Jenkins (2016), Dietz (1916), Goodman, Andriafidison et al. (2005), Jenkins etal. (2007), MacKinnon et al. (2003), Marshall (1985), Nowak (1999), Picot et al. (2007), Racey, PA. et al. (2009), Ratrimomanarivo (2007), Schmid & Alonso (2005), Schoeman & Goodman (2012), Shi et al. (2014).

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)

Distribution. Madagascar , W coastal and Central High Plateau; also on Nosy Be.