Pteropus rufus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1803
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Pteropodidae
Pteropus
Pteropus rufus

description: 184.
Malagasy Flying Fox
Pteropus rufus
French: Roussette marron / German: Madagaskar-Flughund / Spanish: Zorro volador de Madagascar
Other common names: Madagascan Flying Fox, Madagascar Flying Fox, Madagascar Fruit Bat
Taxonomy. Pteropus rufus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803,
Madagascar. Restricted by K. Andersen in 1908 to North and Central Madagascar.
Pteropus rufus is in the wvampyrus species group. Monotypic.
Distribution. Madagascar and nearby islands including Nosy Be, Nosy Komba, Nosy Tanikely, and Ile Sainte-Marie.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 234- 270 mm (males) and 233-255 mm (females), no tail, ear 29-40 mm (males) and 33-41 mm (females), hindfoot 52-62 mm (males) and 52-56 mm (females), forearm 154-171 mm (males) and 156-173 mm (females); weight 650-750 g (males) and 500-550 g (females). Females are on average smaller than males. Muzzle, face, cheeks, and area around eyes are medium brown, contrasting yellowish buff crown and area between eyes; eyes are large, with brown irises; ears are long, naked, exposed, and attenuated at tips and subacutely pointed; back and flanks are dark brown, without being intermixed with lighter hairs; mid-dorsal hairs and those of mantle are 19-22 mm long, pelage above extending to one-third or half-way of forearm; fur also extends on wing membrane for c¢. 14 mm; mantle is buffy, orange buffy, or yellowish buffy, strongly contrasting rump; and tibias are naked or very thinly haired above. Venter is buffy, orange bufty, or yellowish brown and darker in anal region; hairs are 19-22 mm long, bicolored with long seal-brown bases and yellowish buff tips; uropatagium is well-developed in its center (c. 15 mm in depth), usually wholly and covered by overhanging hairs of rump. Skull is large, rostrum is relatively long and slightly compressed; braincase is moderately deflected; sagittal crest is strongly developed; orbits are relatively large; postorbital processes is long and strong; zygomatic arches widen posteriorly; there are 14 palatal ridges, of which ridges 1-8 are interdental; and mandible is strong. Baculum has distal tip forming an arch-shaped structure and basal portion that is lobed with distinct central prolongation. C' is slightly recurved; P' is very small; anterior M' is subcircular or subsquarish; I, is at least twice as large as I; P,is twice the size of I; and M,is slightly larger than P,. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 38 and FNa = 68, with eleven pairs of metacentric, six pairs of submetacentric, and one pair of acrocentric autosomes. X-chromosome is large submetacentric, and Y-chromosome small acrocentric.
Habitat. Primarily humid forests from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 1200 m. Roosts of the Malagasy Flying Fox are most frequently found in coastal areas.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Malagasy Flying Fox consists of 59-65% fruit (juices), 17-35% flowers and nectar, and 6-18% leaves. It feeds on native and introduced fruits of at least 56 genera in 39 families and leaves of Tamarindus indica (Fabaceae). Juices of fruits are often sucked out, and pulp and seeds are spit out. Petals of Ludia antanosarum (Salicaceae) and nectar and pollen from at least 18 genera in nine families are eaten. Ceiba (Malvaceae) is visited before midnight when most nectar was available.
Breeding. Litter size of the Malagasy Flying Fox is one, occasionally two. Mating probably occurs in April-May, and females with large embryos or young appear in October. Activity patterns. The Malagasy Flying Fox is nocturnal but can be active in the roost and flying during the day. Individuals hang alone on branches and display considerable movement, squealing and chattering, and sometimes flying about. At dusk, they fly at high altitudes (200-300 m) and descend to treetops, with starting altitude linked to destination distance. They often glide under windy conditions or soar in thermals.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Malagasy Flying Foxes primarily roost in trees in forest fragments, small islands, mangroves, and exceptionally Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) plantations, generally near water. Colony size varied between ten and 5000 individuals (median 400). Individuals roosting on coastal islands flew to the Madagascan coast to forage. Commuting distances were up to 30 km, averaging speeds of 32 km /h (maximum on record 61 km /h). Average home range in Berenty Reserve in south-eastern Madagascar was ¢.58,000 ha.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Population of the Malagasy Flying Fox is estimated at 300,000 mature individuals, but there was an estimated decline of 30% over the last three generations (18 years). Major threats are increased hunting for subsistence (legal in May-August when females are pregnant) and loss of habitat from land conversion to agriculture. It occurs in protected areas such as Kirindy Mitea, Masoala, and Mananara Nord national parks.
Bibliography. Almeida et al. (2014), Andersen (1908b, 1912b), Andriafidison et al. (2006), Bergmans (1991), Bollen (2007), Bollen & Van Elsacker (2002), Jenkins et al. (2007), Kaudern (1914), Lindhe-Norberg et al. (2000), Long & Racey (2007), MacKinnon et al. (2003), O'Brien (2011), Olesky (2014), Peterson et al. (1995), Racey (2016), Racey et al. (2009), Raharimihaja et al. (2016), Raheriarisena (2005), Rakotondramanana & Goodman (2017), Rand (1935), Richards et al. (2016).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Pteropodidae, pp. 16-162 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 159-160, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6448815