Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Laurasiatheria
Cladus: Scrotifera
Ordo: Chiroptera
Subordo: Yinpterochiroptera
Familia: Pteropodidae
Subfamilia: Pteropodinae
Tribus: Pteropodini
Genus: Pteropus
Species: Pteropus tuberculatus
Name
Pteropus tuberculatus Peters, 1869
Type locality: Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Islands, Vanikoro Island.
References
Peters. 1869. Monatsberichte der Koniglich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1869: 393.
Conservation status: IUCN Red List
Distribution
Vanikoro Island (Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands)
Vernacular names
English: Vanikoro Flying Fox.
The Vanikoro flying fox (Pteropus tuberculatus), also known locally as the basapine, is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It has only been found in the Vanikoro island group located in the southern Solomon Islands. The species as a whole was originally known from just a few specimens collected sometime before 1930 but following surveys conducted on the island in the early 1990s did not detect this species again causing the Vanikoro flying fox to be listed as extinct.[1] However, the species was rediscovered by a survey conducted in late 2014 which indicated a population in the high hundreds or low thousands and reported all observations.[1][2]
Description
The Vanikoro flying fox is a small flying fox that has an average body length was indicated by surveyors as about half the size of a Pacific flying fox, with large heads and small ears. Coloration includes a dark brown pelage with dark brown-black skin.[2]
Behavior
The Vanikoro flying fox is mostly a solitary animal that can be found roosting individually or occasionally in pairs in the middle understory of trees with significant overhead cover and close to a food source. These bats forage during the day up until late afternoon.[2]
Diet
Confirmed food sources of the Vanikoro flying fox include coconut flowers, coconut nectar, and fan palm flowers.[2]
Conservation
Status
Originally the IUCN Red List listed the Vanikoro flying fox as "Vulnerable" in 1996, but as of 2020 its status has been updated to endangered.[1] However, as of 2014, large numbers of the species were recorded by a Heritage Expeditions survey conducted on threatened birds and flying foxes in the Santa Cruz islands and Solomon Islands.[2][3] Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent extinction.[4] In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation.[5] The population is estimated to be in the high hundreds to low thousands.[6]
Ecological importance
The genus Pteropus are considered to be important seed dispersers and pollinators. Observations of their diet suggest that the Vanikoro flying fox may be an important pollinator of coconuts and several other flowering plants in the area.[7]
Threats
The main island of Vanikoro was extensively logged without any reforestation plan in the 1920s through 1960s which resulted in major habitat degradation.[1] Since then, there has been some forest regeneration, however, logging was recommenced by a Malaysian company in 2014. The loss of suitable habitat has also pushed the Vanikoro flying fox into coconut farms where they are often killed as they are thought to negatively affect the fruits. Opportunistic hunting in some areas can also contribute as a threat to the species.[2]
References
Lavery, T.H.; Leary, T.; Pierce, R. (2020). "Pteropus tuberculatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T18765A22088712. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T18765A22088712.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
"Surveys of Threatened Birds and Flyingfoxes in the Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands, September - October 2014" (PDF). Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. September–October 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
"Heritage Expeditions rediscovered the Vanikoro Flying Fox". Heritage Expeditions. June 3, 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
"A Five-Year Plan for Global Bat Conservation" (PDF). batcon.org. Bat Conservation International. October 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
"Annual Report 2013-2014" (PDF). batcon.org. Bat Conservation International. August 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
"Mindat.org". www.mindat.org. Archived from the original on 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
"Importance of flying-foxes". Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
"Pteropus Tuberculatus ." Pteropus Tuberculatus (Vanikoro Flying Fox). IUCN Red List, n.d. Web.
Surveys of Threatened Birds and Flyingfoxes in the Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands, September - October 2014 (2014): 1-29. 1 Dec. 2014. Web. Archived 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
"Heritage Expeditions Rediscovered the Vanikoro Flying Fox." Heritage Expeditions. N.p., n.d. Web. Archived 2016-01-07 at the Wayback Machine
"Importance of Flying-foxes." Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. Queensland Government, n.d. Web.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/"
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
