Dobsonia inermis K. Andersen 1909
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Pteropodidae
Dobsonia
Dobsonia inermis

description: 93.
Solomons Naked-backed Fruit Bat
Dobsonia inermis
French: Roussette des Salomon / German: Salomonen-Nacktrickenflughund / Spanish: Dobsonia de Salomén
Other common names: Solomons Bare-backed Fruit Bat
Taxonomy. Dobsonia inermis K. Andersen, 1909,
“San Cristobal [= Makira Island],” Makira-Ulawa Province, Solomon Islands.
The form nesea named by K. Andersen in 1909 from western and central Solomon Islands has been synonymized with nominate inermis by most authors, which thisis followed here. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
D.i.inermusK.Andersen,1909—SolomonIsexceptwheretheothersubspeciesoccur.
D. i. minimus C. J. Phillips, 1968 — Solomon Is (Choiseul and Santa Isabel).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 118- 188 mm, tail 13-32 mm, ear 13-29 mm, hindfoot 26-30 mm, forearm 91-116 mm; weight 125-215 g. Greatest skull lengths are 42-1-47- 4 mm. Male Solomons Nakedbacked Fruit Bats tend to be more massive that females in head dimensions, head— body and forearm lengths, and body weight (largest males are c. 25 g heavier than largest females). Head, face, nape, flanks, rump, and fur underlying wing membranes are blackish brown. Venter is pale brown, with yellow-green wash that is more striking in adult males. Underside of neck is sparsely haired. Wings meet along spine in nakedbacked condition with underlying fur. Claws are tan, merging to dark brown at bases. Claw 1s absent from second digit of hand. Shorttail is present and free of narrow uropatagium that extends along innersides of legs to supporting calcars. Hindfootis covered with brown hairs. Nostrils are slightly tubular, and each flares outward from centerline. Eyes are large, with dark brown irises. Skull has short rostrum and weak saggital and nuchal crests. Upper incisors are bilobed, with mesial lobe being larger. Cheekteeth, especially in upperjaw, are crowded. Anterior part of mandible is narrow, and lower incisors are diminutive and often concealed by gum.
Habitat. Primary and secondary tropical moist lowland to lower montane forests, village gardens, and fruit plantations from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 1300 m (most common below 700 m).
Food and Feeding. The Solomons Naked-backed Fruit Bat is frugivorous. Numerous native figs (Ficus, Moraceae) in its distribution are likely staples in its diet. It feeds on guava (Psidium guajava, Myrtaceae) in village gardens.
Breeding. Pregnant Solomons Naked-backed Fruit Bats are observed in February and September; dependent young in March, July, and November-December; and volant young in February-April. Lactation is observed in February-March. Although not synchronized throughout it distribution, these observations suggest two annual birth peaks. Mothers will carry dependent young up to 54 g in body weight when foraging.
Activity patterns. Solomons Naked-backed Fruit Bats are nocturnal. Flight activity begins well after sunset. Observations on Choiseul indicate increased flight activity during bright moonlight suggesting vision plays an important role in flight activity and foraging. It roosts to far limits of twilight zones in limestone caves and also under rock ledges.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Solomons Naked-backed Fruit Bats are gregarious, forming large colonies of thousands of individuals. They co-occur with colonies of Geoftroy’s Rousette (Rousettus amplexicaudatus) and Raffray’s Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura raffrayana). They are the primary host for a Solomon Island endemic subspecies of streblid bat fly, Megastrebla gigantea solomonis.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Solomons Naked-backed Fruit Bat has a relatively large distribution on many islands and presumably large stable population;it tolerates some habitat modification. Comparisons of mist-net surveys across eight localities on Kolombangara, New Georgia, and Vangunu in 1992 and repeated in 2015 showed stable capture rates. Nevertheless, dependence on caves for breeding in large colonies makes it susceptible to human disturbance and hunting. Hunting at cave roosts is common practice throughout its distribution; however, absence of firearms in the Solomons often prohibits large numbers of individuals being harvested. Instead, Solomons Naked-backed Fruit Bats are hunted with slings or traditional traps. They are hunted to obtain canine teeth that are strung in necklaces used for “bride-price” by young men on Buka and elsewhere in the region. Such necklaces can have up to 200 teeth from pteropodid bats that include species of Dobsonia and Pteropus and fetched prices of US $ 90 in 1995. Fortunately, necklaces are passed as heirlooms to more than one bride.
Bibliography. Andersen (1909), Bonaccorso (1998), Flannery (1995a), Lavery & Fisher (2016), Maa (1971), Phillips (1968).
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 page 112, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6448815