SEAVR 2022: 022‐027
ISSN: 2424‐8525
Date of publication: 20 October 2022
Hosted online by ecologyasia.com

A preliminary record of fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in
CALSANAG Forest Reserve, Tablas Island, Philippines
Juniel G. LUCIDOS and Ace Kevin S. AMARGA
juniel_lucidos@yahoo.com (Lucidos), ace_amarga061@yahoo.com (Amarga)

Collaborators: Almaiza Marie Rodeo, Hannah Gan, Reymark Manoy, Gregorio Florendo, Jr., Raymond Inocencio,
Marjorie delos Angeles.
Photographs by: Reymark Manoy.
Subjects identified by: Ace Kevin S. Amarga, Juniel G. Lucidos.
Location: Tablas Island, Calatrava‐San Andres‐San Agustin (CALSANAG) Watershed Forest Reserve, Municipalities
of San Andres & Calatrava, Romblon Province, Philippines.
Elevation: n/a
Habitat: Secondary lowland forest and agroforest ecosystems (including perennial orchards).
Dates and times: Barangay Balogo, Calatrava municipality (March 9‐12, 2017; April 10‐13, 2017; April 18‐22,2017) [specimens were retrieved from mistnets between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.]Barangay Marigondon Norte, San Andres municipality (September 17‐23, 2019).
Description of records:BatsBrgy. BalogoForest
Agroforest

Brgy. Marigondon‐NorteForest
Agroforest

Cynopterus luzoniensis
14 ind.
104 ind.
92 ind.
(Peters’ fruit bat)
Eonycteris spelaea‐
37 ind.
‐(Cave nectar bat)
Macroglossus minimus
5 ind.
5 ind.
2 ind.
(Dagger‐toothed long‐nosed fruit bat)
Ptenochirus jagori
3 ind.
3 ind.
‐(Greater musky fruit bat)
Pteropus pumilus‐
4 ind.
‐(Little Golden‐mantled flying fox)
Rousettus amplexicaudatus‐
24 ind.
3 ind.
(Geoffroy’s rousette)
Table 1. Bat species collected in forest and agroforest study sites in CALSANAG Forest Reserven/an/an/an/an/an/aRemarks and Species Account:
The Calatrava‐San Andres‐San Agustin Watershed (CALSANAG) is a protected area and the sole watershed in theisland of Tablas, Romblon province, Philippines (Rodeo et al. 2019). It has a total land area of 2, 670 hectares andis primarily dominated by secondary forests, with 94 recorded tree species belonging to 44 families (Hernandez etal. 2020). Also, there are patches of grasslands, agroforest areas, and upland farms in the area (PENRO‐DENR 2001;
Rodeo et al. 2019; Landicho et al. 2020). To date, there are few published works concerning faunistic
documentation in CALSANAG Watershed Forest Reserve (e.g., Fadri & Barrion 2019; Amarga & Supsup 2020;Amarga & Sy 2020). In addition to these, there is no published report regarding the bat fauna occurring in this area.
Thus, to our knowledge, this is the first report of fruit bats (Pteropodidae) found in CALSANAG Watershed ForestReserve.

22During a biodiversity assessment in CALSANAG Watershed Forest Reserve, mist netting was used to collect fruitbats from collection sites such as flyways along streams and forest edges. All bats were released to the wild after
identification and measurement of related morphometrics. Fruit bats were identified following the taxonomic keysof Ingle & Heaney (1992). Species names follow those listed in Giannini et al. (2019).
Pteropodidae is a family of bats belonging to the suborder Yinpterochiroptera along with Hipposideridae (Old World
leaf‐nosed bats), Megadermatidae (False vampire bats), and Rhinolophidae (Horseshoe bats) (Lei & Dong 2016).
Pteropodid bats are native to the Old World (Almeida et al. 2011) and are primarily frugivores (Courts 1998),
although some are nectarivores (Freeman 1995; Sritongchuay & Bumrungsri 2016) and a few have been reported
to exhibit folivory (Kunz & Ingalls 1994; Nelson et al. 2005; Alcazar et al. 2019). Furthermore, pteropodid bats playa pivotal role in forest restoration via fruit and seed dispersion, vegetation succession, and pollination of important
fruit crops in the tropics (Sheherazade et al. 2017; Aziz et al. 2021; Parolin et al. 2021).
Cynopterus luzoniensis (Peters’ fruit bat) is a small frugivorous bat, commonly found in lowland secondary forests
as well as agroforests and agricultural areas (especially orchards) (Rosell‐Ambal et al. 2019). Due to its ability totolerate disturbance, it can also thrive in urban areas (Ramadhan and Winarni 2015). This species is part of theCynopterus brachyotis species complex, a cryptic species lineage native to South and Southeast Asia (Campbell etal. 2004). Furthermore, according to the assessment of Rosell‐Ambal et al. (2019), this species inhabits Philippinesand Indonesia (Sulawesi).
Eonycteris spelaea (Cave nectar bat) is one of the two nectivorous species of the genus Eonycteris present in thePhilippines (the other one is E. robusta, an endemic species) (Heaney et al. 2010). This bat is widespread in mainlandand maritime SE Asia; it has also been reported in southern China and scarcely in southern Asia (Waldien et al.
2020). In forest ecosystems, E. spelaea inhabits lowland secondary and agroforest areas (especially orchards). Incaves, it can form large roosts and can cohabit with other cave‐dwelling species such as Geoffroy’s rousette(Rousettus amplexicaudatus) (Esselstyn et al. 2004; Waldien et al. 2020). In Southeast Asia, it is an importantpollinator for commercially important plant species such as bananas (Musa spp.), durian (Durio zibethinus), jackfruit(Artocarpus heterophyllus), and Java cotton (Ceiba pentandra) (Acharya et al. 2015; Thavry et al. 2017; Lim et al.
2018).
Macroglossus minimus (Dagger‐toothed long‐nosed fruit bat) is the only representative of the genus in thePhilippines (Heaney et al. 2010). This small, nectarivorous bat has a very wide distribution spanning across SE Asia
extending to Australia (Francis et al. 2008). In the Philippines, M. minimus occurs in every faunal region andcommonly inhabits lowland secondary forests, agroforests, and even urban areas (Heaney et al. 2010).
Furthermore, it is an important pollinator of varieties of bananas as well as mangroves (Winkelmann et al. 2003;
Diego et al. 2019; Thong et al. 2021).
Ptenochirus jagori (Musky fruit bat) is a widely distributed Philippine endemic, except in Greater Palawan Faunal
Region and Batanes‐Babuyan archipelago (Heaney et al. 2010). This species inhabits primary and secondary forests
as well as agricultural lands and even urban areas (Widmann 1994; Roberts 2006; Duya et al. 2020). It also makes
use of caves (Tanalgo & Tabora 2015; Bejec et al. 2021). In terms of its diet, P. jagori feed on at least 45 plant
species (Luft 1998); it primarily prefers Ficus spp. (Relox et al. 2014).
Pteropus pumilus (Little golden‐mantled flying fox) is native to the Philippines and Miangas Island (Indonesia). Thisbat prefers primary and secondary lowland forests (Heaney et al. 2010). Because of its currently declining
population across its range, due to habitat degradation and hunting for bush meat, the IUCN lists this species as
Near Threatened (Heaney et al., 2019). Pteropus pumilus have been reported to feed on Calophyllum inophyllum(Calophyllaceae), Fagraea racemosa (Gentianaceae), and Ficus spp. (Moraceae) (Luft et al. 2003).
Rousettus amplexicaudatus (Geoffroy’s rousette) is an Old World species widespread in mainland and maritime
Southeast Asia extending to New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and nearby islands (Rookmaaker and Bergmans
1981; Waldien et al. 2019). This species is known to inhabit lowland secondary forests, agricultural areas (includingagroforests), and caves (Heideman and Heaney 1989; Carpenter et al. 2014; Duya et al. 2020). Because of its
frugivorous diet, R. amplexicaudatus plays a significant role in pollination and dispersion of tropical plant species
including Ceiba pentandra, Durio sp., Musa spp., and Sonneratia spp. (Sritongchuay and Bumrungsri 2016; Zalipahet al. 2016).

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Figure 1. Cynopterus luzoniensis(Peters’ fruit bat)

Figure 2. Eonycteris spelaea(Cave nectar bat)

Figure 3. Macroglossus minimus(Dagger‐toothed long‐nosed fruit bat)

Figure 5. Pteropus pumilus(Little Golden‐mantled flying fox)

Figure 4. Ptenochirus jagori(Greater musky fruit bat)

Figure 6. Rousettus amplexicaudatus(Geoffroy’s rousette)24Permit: This report was part of Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring System (BAMS) conducted in CALSANAG
Watershed Forest Reserve through the Monitoring and Detection of Ecosystems Changes for Enhancing Resilienceand Adaptation in the Philippines (MODECERA) Research Program of the Romblon State University ‐ Odiongan
Campus and the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
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