Bonin flying fox
Bonin flying fox | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Pteropodidae |
Genus: | Pteropus |
Species: | P. pselaphon
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Binomial name | |
Pteropus pselaphon Lay, 1829
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Bonin flying fox range |
The Bonin flying fox (Pteropus pselaphon), also known as Bonin fruit bat, is a species of
Etymology
The Bonin flying fox was described by British naturalist George Tradescant Lay in 1829. He gave it the species name pselaphon as a reference to "the habit of feeling instead of seeing its way in the day time." Pselaphon is a
Taxonomy
As the Pteropus genus is quite speciose, it is traditionally divided into closely related species groups, identified based on morphology. Traditionally, the Bonin flying fox has been the identifier of the pselaphon species group, of which there are several other members:
- the extinct large Palau flying fox
- Vanikoro flying fox
- the extinct Guam flying fox
- New Caledonia flying fox
- Chuuk flying fox
- White-winged flying fox[4]
However, adding in phylogenetic data places this species in a different group—the vampyrus group— which consists of:
- Bonin flying fox
- Ryukyu flying fox
- Little golden-mantled flying fox
- Rodrigues flying fox
- Large flying fox
- Indian flying fox
- Lyle's flying fox
- Aldabra flying fox
- Madagascan flying fox
- Seychelles fruit bat
- Mauritian flying fox[5]
Description
Their fur is predominantly black and brown, with silver-tipped hairs interspersed.[6] Their
Biology
Diet
This species is herbivorous. They eat fruits of the Manilkara genus and the Pandanus genus, including screw-pine and thatch screwpine.[2][10] When eating a piece of fruit, they will suck out the juices and discard the rest instead of consuming it entirely.[2] They consume ornamental plants including Agave americana.[10] They are also known to eat ferns, based on the presence of Asplenium spores in their guano.[11] Other components of their diet include
Behavior
When foraging, they move slowly through the trees.[8] In the summer, individuals roost alone rather than in colonies.[8] In the winter, their colonies form unique, ball-shaped dense clusters during the daytime to conserve body heat.[7][8] Their winter colonies can have as many as 100 individuals. Bonin flying foxes do not have a strong fear of humans.[8] Bonin flying foxes are an animal species known to display homosexual behavior, with males observed performing fellatio on other males. This behavior occurs independently of social grooming, and one possible explanation for it is that it promotes colony formation for warmth among males who would otherwise repel each other during competition for females.[13]
Reproduction
Copulation is frequent in winter colonies, with as many as 27 instances observed per day in colonies with large proportions of female bats. During mating, the bats screech loudly, and males will lick the female's vulva. This species probably has the ability to breed year-round. Gestation is estimated at 5–7 months, after which the female gives birth to one pup. Pups are most frequently seen in August, though they have been observed in February, March, April, and December as well.[8]
Range and habitat
It is one of the northernmost species of
They live in subtropical habitat. The islands where they are found have many steep hills[8]Conservation
In 1994 and 1996, the Bonin flying fox was classified as
In captivity
This species has been kept at Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo in the past. One individual died in 1998 and another in 1999, and it is unclear if the species is still kept there or if there are attempts at a captive breeding program.[17][9]
Sources
- ^ . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d Lay, George Tradescant (1829). "Observations on a Species of Pteropus from Bonin". The Zoological Journal. 4: 457–9. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ "Pselaphus." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 3 September 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
- ^ Almeida, F. C., Giannini, N. P., Simmons, N. B., & Helgen, K. M. (2014). Each flying fox on its own branch: a phylogenetic tree for Pteropus and related genera (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 77, 83-95.
- ^ Yoshiyuki M. 1989. A systematic study of the Japanese Chiroptera. National Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
- ^ a b Abe M., Maeda K., Ishii N., Sano Y..1994. Distribution, feeding habit, and home range of Pteropus pselaphon. Annual Report of Ogasawara Research 18:4–43(in Japanese)
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sugita, N., Inaba, M., & Ueda, K. (2009). Roosting pattern and reproductive cycle of Bonin flying foxes (Pteropus pselaphon). Journal of Mammalogy, 90(1), 195-202.
- ^ a b Weigl, R. (2005). Longevity of mammals in captivity; from the living collections of the world.
- ^ a b Wiles, G. J., & Fujita, M. S. (1992, July). Food plants and economic importance of flying foxes on Pacific islands. In Pacific island flying foxes: Proceedings of an international conservation conference. US Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep (Vol. 90, No. 23, pp. 24-35).
- ^ Nakamura, T., Fujita, T., Suzuki, H., & Sugita, N. (2008). Pollen recovered from the feaces of the Bonin flying fox (Pteropus pselaphon Layard, 1829) on Minami-Iwo-To and Chichi-jima Islands. Japanese Journal of Palynology, 54, 53-60.
- ^ Inaba, M., Odamaki, M., Fujii, A., Takatsuki, S., Sugita, N., Fujita, T., & Suzuki, H. (2004). Food habits of Bonin flying foxes, Pteropus pselaphon, Layard 1829 on the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan. Ogasawara Research, 30, 15-23.
- ^ Sugita, N. (2016). Homosexual Fellatio: Erect Penis Licking between Male Bonin Flying Foxes Pteropus pselaphon. PLoS ONE, 11(11), e0166024.
- ^ Sugita, N., Ootsuki, R., Fujita, T., Murakami, N., & Ueda, K. (2013). Possible spore dispersal of a bird-Nest fern Asplenium setoi by Bonin flying foxes Pteropus pselaphon. Mammal study, 38(3), 225-229.
- ^ Inaba M., Takatsuki S., Ueda K., Izawa M., Suzuki H., Horikoshi K.. 2002. An urgent appeal for conservation of the Bonin flying fox, Pteropus pselaphon Layard, an endangered species. Japanese Journal of Conservation Ecology 7:51–61 (in Japanese with English summary).
- ^ Welch, J. N., & Leppanen, C. (2017). The threat of invasive species to bats: a review. Mammal Review.
- ^ de Ruiter, Maarten (January–February 1999). "Endangered Flying Foxes could be Saved by Captive Breeding". International Zoo News. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2017.