Nyctimene albiventer (Gray, 1863)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 16-162 : 118-119

104.

Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bat

Nyctimene albiventer

French: Nyctimene a ventre blanc / German: Gemeiner Rohrennasenflughund / Spanish: Nyctimeno de vientre blanco

Other common names: Common Tube-nosed Bat

Taxonomy. Cynopterus (Uronycteris) albiventer J. E. Gray, 1863 ,

“Morty [= Morotai] Island,” Moluccas, Indonesia.

Nyctimene albiventer 1s in the albiventer species group. Taxonomic relationship of species in the albiventer group is unresolved and currently under revision. Limited published genetic data suggest that the albiventer group is not monophyletic. Nyctimene keasti and N. viscaccia have been considered subspecies or synonyms of N. albiventer but are now considered distinct species. Taxon papuanus is included under N. albiventer as a subspecies, butthis name certainly represents a distinct species (possibly even multiple species throughout New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago). Comparison between papuanus and albrventer by K. M. Helgen and colleagues in 2009 suggested that they were distinct species, although there is continued revision, and this change is not used here. True N. albiventeris most likely endemic to Moluccas. Nyctimene albiventerand N. vizcaccia are apparently found in Bismarck Archipelago as currently defined. Placement of N. draconilla and N. masalai is uncertain because draconilla was listed as a distinct species without clarifying its diagnostic characteristics and masalai was included in N. albiventerand is morphologically very similar to N. albiventer . The name minutus is considered a synonym of nominate subspecies because holotype of minutus and only representative labeled from Sulawesi ofits kind seems to represent a geographically mislabeled N. albiventer rather than N. varius from Moluccas, according to Helgen in K. P. Aplin and K. N. Armstrong in 2016. Subspecific and specific status of most of these populations is unresolved and requires additional research. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.a.albwenterJ.E.Gray,1863—NMoluccas(Morotai,Halmahera,Bacan,andObi)andRajaAmpatIs(Waigeo,Batanta,andSalawati).

N. a. papuanus K. Andersen, 1910 — lowland New Guinea and N Aru Is. Populations on Kai Is, Admiralty Is, and Bismarck Archipelago are not currently assigned to either taxon.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 743- 115 mm,tail 18-25- 5 mm, ear 11- 5-16 mm, hindfoot 11-22- 2 mm, forearm 55-67 mm; weight 27-5-55- 5 g. Females tend to be paler than males. Rostrum of the Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is short, with long tubular divergent nostrils that curve outward at rims. Ears are long, with pointed tips; eyes are large, with amber irises. Dorsal pelage is dark to light brown, with varying hues of gray, yellow, or orange (hairs are dark brown except for whitish bases); ventral pelage and flanks are golden to whitish or white, with gold variably on chest. There is also distinct and wavy narrow (2-4 mm wide) dark brown dorsal stripe, extending from rump to between shoulder blades and fading or absent above shoulder blades. Wings, nostrils, and ears are variably covered in bright yellow spots. Wings are greenish black to black, with variable amounts of yellow and dark spotting; 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 black. Skull and mandible are robust; distal parts of premaxillae 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 not to weakly fused; M,is slightly shorter than P_; M,is short; and canines are apparently more robust than in the Dragon Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (N. draconilla ).

Habitat. Primary lowland rainforests, hill forests, Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) savannas, monsoon forests, secondary forests, rural gardens, sago palm plantations, and various another types of plantation.

Food and Feeding. Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bats are primarily frugivorous based on stomach contents and general tooth morphology. Stomachs have primarily contained pulped vegetable matter, but one contained beetles and ants and another had remains of moths. This suggests that insect prey is occasionally eaten, but whether this is accidental or purposeful has yet to be clarified.

Breeding. Reproductively active Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bats have been recorded in every month in New Guinea, but there is evidence of seasonal reproduction at various localities. Litters have one young. Females can have two litters/year, with 5-6 months of gestation and lactation for each young. After birth, their mothers carry young while they forage, and young are left at roosts when they are larger.

Activity patterns. The Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is nocturnal, spending the day roosting and foraging throughout the night. It was only captured around dawn in one study. When ambient temperatures cool,it can enter torpor to conserve energy by lowering body temperature and metabolic rate. After four hours at 25°C, body temperatures lowered to 27-8-29-6°C, and metabolic rate was one-third of that of a homeothermic individual. It usually roosts among dry leaves in understories and mid-canopies.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bats roost alone or in mother-young pairs.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. As currently defined, the Common Tube-nosed Fruit Bat represents a species complex that has a widespread distribution. It is common throughoutits distribution and has no major threats, but if it is split into multiple species, populations of each might be threatened.

Bibliography. Aplin & Armstrong (2016c¢), Bartholomew et al. (1970), Bergmans (2001), Bonaccorso (1998), Colgan & Costa (2002), Donnellan et al. (1995), Flannery (1995a, 1995b), Giannini & Simmons (2007a), Helgen (2007a), Helgen, Opiang & Thomas (2009), Hutson, Helgen, Schlitter & Suyanto (2008), Irwin (2017), Kitchener, Packer & Suyanto (1995), Macaranas et al. (2003), McNab & Bonaccorso (2001), Newbound et al. (2008), Pattiselanno (2013), Vestjens & Hall (1977).

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.a.albwenterJ.E.Gray,1863—NMoluccas(Morotai,Halmahera,Bacan,andObi)andRajaAmpatIs(Waigeo,Batanta,andSalawati). N. a. papuanus K. Andersen, 1910 — lowland New Guinea and N Aru Is. Populations on Kai Is, Admiralty Is, and Bismarck Archipelago are not currently assigned to either taxon.