Rennell flying fox

Species of bat

Rennell flying fox
Conservation status

Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Pteropus
Species:
P. rennelli
Binomial name
Pteropus rennelli
Troughton, 1929.
Rennell flying fox range
Synonyms
  • Pteropus rayneri rennelli Troughton, 1929

The Rennell flying fox (Pteropus rennelli) is a species of flying fox found in the Solomon Islands. It is an endangered species risking extinction.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1929 by Australian mammalogist Ellis Le Geyt Troughton.[2] As the genus Pteropus is speciose, it is divided into closely related species groups. The Rennell flying fox is in the "samoensis" species group.[3] Its species name "rennelli" comes from Rennell Island, which is part of the Solomon Islands.[4] Rennell Island was where the holotype was collected, and remains the only known location of this species.[1][2] In 1962, Hill published that he considered Rennell's flying fox as a subspecies of the Solomons flying fox, with a trinomen of Pteropus rayneri rennelli.[5]

Description

The forearm of the holotype was 121 mm (4.8 in) long. The fur of its back is uniformly brownish, with the fur of its neck and face lighter.[2]

Biology

Females give birth to one offspring per litter, with the young called a "pup." Its lifespan is estimated at eight to nine years. It is nocturnal, roosting in sheltered places such as trees during the day. Individuals roost by themselves.[1]

Range and habitat

It is only known from Rennell Island, which is part of the Solomon Islands.[1]

Conservation

The holotype was the only known individual of these species until 1958, when two more were collected.[5] It is currently listed as an endangered species by the IUCN; its 2017 assessment uplisted it from its 2008 status of vulnerable.[1] A 2016 study stated that the Rennell's flying fox is one of the land mammals most threatened by overhunting.[6] Because the species has such a small range, it is susceptible to extinction via natural disaster; a single cyclone could conceivably extinct this species.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Lavery, T.H. (2017). "Pteropus rennelli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T136685A22038028. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T136685A22038028.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Troughton, Ellis Le Geyt (1929). "A new fruit bat (Pteropus rayneri Group) from the Solomons" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 17 (4): 193–198. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.17.1929.761.
  3. ^ Almeida, Francisca C; Giannini, Norberto P; Simmons, Nancy B; Helgen, Kristofer 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. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.03.009. hdl:11336/12485. PMID 24662680.
  4. ^ Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2009). The eponym dictionary of mammals. JHU Press. p. 339. ISBN 9780801895333.
  5. ^ a b Hill, J. E. (1962). "A little-known fruit-bat from Rennell Island". The natural history of Rennell Island, British Solomon Islands. Vol. 4. Copenhagen, Denmark: Danish Science Press. pp. 7–9.
  6. ^ Ripple, William J; Abernethy, Katharine; Betts, Matthew G; Chapron, Guillaume; Dirzo, Rodolfo; Galetti, Mauro; Levi, Taal; Lindsey, Peter A; MacDonald, David W; Machovina, Brian; Newsome, Thomas M; Peres, Carlos A; Wallach, Arian D; Wolf, Christopher; Young, Hillary (2016). "Bushmeat hunting and extinction risk to the world's mammals". Royal Society Open Science. 3 (10): 160498. doi:10.1098/rsos.160498. PMC 5098989. PMID 27853564.
  • v
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Extant species of family Pteropodidae
Subfamily Nyctimeninae
Nyctimene
(tube-nosed fruit bats)
  • Broad-striped tube-nosed fruit bat (N. aello)
  • Common tube-nosed fruit bat (N. albiventer)
  • Pallas's tube-nosed bat (N. cephalotes)
  • Mountain tube-nosed fruit bat (N. certans)
  • Round-eared tube-nosed fruit bat (N. cyclotis)
  • Dragon tube-nosed fruit bat (N. draconilla)
  • Keast's tube-nosed fruit bat (N. keasti)
  • Island tube-nosed fruit bat (N. major)
  • Malaita tube-nosed fruit bat (N. malaitensis)
  • Demonic tube-nosed fruit bat (N. masalai)
  • Lesser tube-nosed bat (N. minutus)
  • Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat (N. rabori)
  • Eastern tube-nosed Bat (N. robinsoni)
  • Umboi tube-nosed fruit bat (N. vizcaccia)
Paranyctimene
  • Lesser tube-nosed fruit bat (P. raptor)
  • Steadfast tube-nosed fruit bat (P. tenax)
Subfamily Cynopterinae
Aethalops
(Pygmy fruit bats)
  • Borneo fruit bat (A. aequalis)
  • Pygmy fruit bat (A. alecto)
Alionycteris
  • Mindanao pygmy fruit bat (A. paucidentata)
Balionycteris
Chironax
  • Black-capped fruit bat (C. melanocephalus)
Cynopterus
(Dog-faced fruit bats)
  • Lesser short-nosed fruit bat (C. brachyotis)
  • Horsfield's fruit bat (C. horsfieldii)
  • Peters's fruit bat (C. luzoniensis)
  • Minute fruit bat (C. minutus)
  • Nusatenggara short-nosed fruit bat (C. nusatenggara)
  • Greater short-nosed fruit bat (C. sphinx)
  • Indonesian short-nosed fruit bat (C. titthaecheilus)
Dyacopterus
(Dayak fruit bats)
  • Brooks's dyak fruit bat (D. brooksi)
  • Rickart's dyak fruit bat (D. rickarti)
  • Dayak fruit bat (D. spadiceus)
Haplonycteris
  • Fischer's pygmy fruit bat (H. fischeri)
Latidens
  • Salim Ali's fruit bat (L. salimalii)
Megaerops
  • Tailless fruit bat (M. ecaudatus)
  • Javan tailless fruit bat (M. kusnotoi)
  • Ratanaworabhan's fruit bat (M. niphanae)
  • White-collared fruit bat (M. wetmorei)
Otopteropus
  • Luzon fruit bat (O. cartilagonodus)
Penthetor
  • Dusky fruit bat (P. lucasi)
Ptenochirus
(Musky fruit bats)
  • Greater musky fruit bat (P. jagori)
  • Lesser musky fruit bat (P. minor)
Sphaerias
  • Blanford's fruit bat (S. blanfordi)
Thoopterus
Subfamily Harpyionycterinae
Aproteles
  • Bulmer's fruit bat (A. bulmerae)
Dobsonia
(Bare-backed fruit bats)
  • Andersen's naked-backed fruit bat (D. anderseni)
  • Beaufort's naked-backed fruit bat (D. beauforti)
  • Philippine naked-backed fruit bat (D. chapmani)
  • Halmahera naked-backed fruit bat (D. crenulata)
  • Biak naked-backed fruit bat (D. emersa)
  • Sulawesi naked-backed fruit bat (D. exoleta)
  • Solomon's naked-backed fruit bat (D. inermis)
  • Lesser naked-backed fruit bat (D. minor)
  • Moluccan naked-backed fruit bat (D. moluccensis)
  • Panniet naked-backed fruit bat (D. pannietensis)
  • Western naked-backed fruit bat (D. peronii)
  • New Britain naked-backed fruit bat (D. praedatrix)
  • Greenish naked-backed fruit bat (D. viridis)
Harpyionycteris
  • Sulawesi harpy fruit bat (H. celebensis)
  • Harpy fruit bat (H. whiteheadi)
Subfamily Macroglossinae
Macroglossus
(Long-tongued fruit bats)
  • Long-tongued nectar bat (M. minimus)
  • Long-tongued fruit bat (M. sobrinus)
Melonycteris
  • Fardoulis's blossom bat (M. fardoulisi)
  • Black-bellied fruit bat (M. melanops)
  • Woodford's fruit bat (M. woodfordi)
Notopteris
(Long-tailed fruit bats)
  • Long-tailed fruit bat (N. macdonaldi)
  • New Caledonia blossom bat (N. neocaledonica)
Syconycteris
(blossom bats)
  • Common blossom bat (S. australis)
  • Halmahera blossom bat (S. carolinae)
  • Moss-forest blossom bat (S. hobbit)
Subfamily Pteropodinae
Acerodon
  • Sulawesi flying fox (A. celebensis)
  • Talaud flying fox (A. humilis)
  • Giant golden-crowned flying fox (A. jubatus)
  • Palawan fruit bat (A. leucotis)
  • Sunda flying fox (A. mackloti)
Desmalopex
  • White-winged flying fox (D. leucopterus)
  • Small white-winged flying fox (D. microleucopterus)
Eidolon
(Straw-coloured fruit bats)
  • Madagascan fruit bat (E. dupreanum)
  • Straw-coloured fruit bat (E. helvum)
Mirimiri
  • Fijian monkey-faced Bat (M. acrodonta)
Neopteryx
  • Small-toothed fruit bat (N. frosti)
Pteralopex
  • Bougainville monkey-faced Bat (P. anceps)
  • Guadalcanal monkey-faced Bat (P. atrata)
  • Greater monkey-faced Bat (P. flanneryi)
  • Montane monkey-faced Bat (P. pulchra)
  • New Georgian monkey-faced Bat (P. taki)
Pteropus
(flying foxes)
  • Admiralty flying fox (P. admiralitatum)
  • Aldabra flying fox (P. aldabrensis)
  • Black flying fox (P. alecto)
  • Small Samoan flying fox (P. allenorum)
  • Vanuatu flying fox (P. anetianus)
  • Aru flying fox (P. aruensis)
  • Ashy-headed flying fox (P. caniceps)
  • Bismarck masked flying fox (P. capistratus)
  • Moluccan flying fox (P. chrysoproctus)
  • Makira flying fox (P. cognatus)
  • Spectacled flying fox (P. conspicillatus)
  • Large Samoan flying fox (P. coxi)
  • Ryukyu flying fox (P. dasymallus)
  • New Ireland masked flying fox (P. ennisae)
  • Nicobar flying fox (P. faunulus)
  • Banks flying fox (P. fundatus)
  • Gilliard's flying fox (P. gilliardorum)
  • Gray flying fox (P. griseus)
  • Ontong Java flying fox (P. howensis)
  • Small flying fox (P. hypomelanus)
  • Andersen's flying fox (P. intermedius)
  • Kei flying fox (P. keyensis)
  • Livingstone's fruit bat (P. livingstonii)
  • Lombok flying fox (P. lombocensis)
  • Okinawa flying fox (P. loochoensis)
  • Lyle's flying fox (P. lylei)
  • Big-eared flying fox (P. macrotis)
  • Lesser flying fox (P. mahaganus)
  • Mariana fruit bat (P. mariannus)
  • Indian flying fox (P. medius)
  • Black-bearded flying fox (P. melanopogon)
  • Black-eared flying fox (P. melanotus)
  • Caroline flying fox (P. molossinus)
  • Great flying fox (P. neohibernicus)
  • Mauritian flying fox (P. niger)
  • Temotu flying fox (P. nitendiensis)
  • Ceram fruit bat (P. ocularis)
  • Ornate flying fox (P. ornatus)
  • P. pelagicus
  • Pelew flying fox (P. pelewensis)
  • Masked flying fox (P. personatus)
  • Geelvink Bay flying fox (P. pohlei)
  • Grey-headed flying fox (P. poliocephalus)
  • Bonin flying fox (P. pselaphon)
  • Little golden-mantled flying fox (P. pumilus)
  • Solomons flying fox (P. rayneri)
  • Rennell flying fox (P. rennelli)
  • Rodrigues flying fox (P. rodricensis)
  • Madagascan flying fox (P. rufus)
  • Samoa flying fox (P. samoensis)
  • Little red flying fox (P. scapulatus)
  • Seychelles fruit bat (P. seychellensis)
  • Philippine gray flying fox (P. speciosus)
  • Temminck's flying fox (P. temminckii)
  • Insular flying fox (P. tonganus)
  • Vanikoro flying fox (P. tuberculatus)
  • Kosrae flying fox (P. ualanus)
  • Large flying fox (P. vampyrus)
  • New Caledonia flying fox (P. vetulus)
  • Pemba flying fox (P. voeltzkowi)
  • Dwarf flying fox (P. woodfordi)
Styloctenium
  • Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat (S. mindorensis)
  • Sulawesi stripe-faced fruit bat (S. wallacei)
Subfamily Rousettinae
Eonycteris
(Dawn fruit bats)
  • Greater nectar bat (E. major)
  • Cave nectar bat (E. spelaea)
  • Philippine dawn bat (E. robusta)
Rousettus
(rousette fruit bats)
  • Subgenus Boneia: Manado fruit bat (R. bidens)
  • Subgenus Rousettus: Geoffroy's rousette (R. amplexicaudatus)
  • Sulawesi rousette (R. celebensis)
  • Egyptian rousette (R. aegyptiacus)
  • Leschenault's rousette (R. leschenaulti)
  • Linduan Rousette (R. linduensis)
  • Comoro rousette (R. obliviosus)
  • Bare-backed rousette (R. spinalatus)
  • Subgenus Stenonycteris: Long-haired rousette (R. lanosus)
  • Madagascan rousette (R. madagascariensis)
Subfamily Epomophorinae
Epomophorini
Epomophorus
(Epauleted fruit bats)
  • Angolan epauletted fruit bat (E. angolensis)
  • Ansell's epauletted fruit bat (E. anselli)
  • Peters's epauletted fruit bat (E. crypturus)
  • Gambian epauletted fruit bat (E. gambianus)
  • Lesser Angolan epauletted fruit bat (E. grandis)
  • Ethiopian epauletted fruit bat (E. labiatus)
  • East African epauletted fruit bat (E. minimus)
  • Minor epauletted fruit bat (E. minor)
  • Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat (E. wahlbergi)
Epomops
(Epauleted bats)
  • Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat (E. buettikoferi)
  • Dobson's fruit bat (E. dobsoni)
  • Franquet's epauletted fruit bat (E. franqueti)
Hypsignathus
  • Hammer-headed Bat (H. monstrosus)
Micropteropus
(Dwarf epauleted bats)
  • Hayman's dwarf epauletted fruit bat (M. intermedius)
  • Peters' dwarf epauletted fruit bat (M. pusillus)
Nanonycteris
  • Veldkamp's dwarf epauletted fruit bat (N. veldkampii)
Myonycterini
Lissonycteris
  • Angolan rousette (L. angolensis)
Megaloglossus
  • Azagnyi fruit bat (M. azagnyi)
  • Woermann's bat (M. woermanni)
Myonycteris
(Little collared fruit bats)
  • São Tomé collared fruit bat (M. brachycephala)
  • East African little collared fruit bat (M. relicta)
  • Little collared fruit bat (M. torquata)
Plerotini
Plerotes
  • D'Anchieta's fruit bat (P. anchietae)
Scotonycterini
Casinycteris
  • Short-palated fruit bat (C. argynnis)
  • Campo-Ma’an fruit bat (C. campomaanensis)
  • Pohle's fruit bat (C. ophiodon)
Scotonycteris
  • Zenker's fruit bat (S. zenkeri)
Taxon identifiers
Pteropus rennelli