Dobsonia beauforti Bergmans 1975
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 beauforti

description: 91.
Beaufort’s Naked-backed Fruit Bat
Dobsonia beauforti
French: Roussette de Beaufort / German: \Waigeo-Nacktriickenflughund / Spanish: Dobsonia de Beaufort
Other common names: Beaufort's Bare-backed Fruit Bat
Taxonomy. Dobsonia beauforti Bergmans, 1975,
“from a cave near Nja-njef, Waigeo [Island, Sorong Division, Papua Province], New Guinea,” Indonesia.
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Raja Ampat Is (Gebe, Gag, Waigeo, and Batanta), Schouten Is (Biak-Supiori and Owi) off NWNew Guinea;it possibly may be found on MisoolI, a single individual reported from Salawati I probably represents a vagrant.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 120-155 mm, tail 20-28 mm, ear 23-27 mm, forearm 100-114 mm; weight 116-163 g. Males are appreciably larger than females in mean weight (males 158 g and females 133 g) and slightly larger in mean forearm length (males 108 mm and females 106 mm). Breeding males differ from females in having brighter greenish yellow fur, proportionately more massive heads with prominent white cheek glands, and almost naked skin on rest of face. Females tend to be more brownish, have more gracile head that is more heavily furred, and lack inflated cheek glands. Young have green-yellow wash to fur, more similar to adult males. Fur on top and side of head is bone brown to olive-brown (greenish yellow in some descriptions). Nape, shoulders, and furred parts of back are olive-brown and somewhat darker in occipital region and bordering naked skin including narrow strip along spine. Chin is sparsely furred blackish brown. Hairs on throat are drab, and central region of throat has exposed pale skin. Ventral parts of upper arms, shoulders, and flanks are drab, with median patch of Sudan brown on breast and belly. Undersides of propatagium and plagiopatagium have Sudan brown hairs near forearm and between upper arm and body. Claws are light yellowish brown but darkest basally. Index claw (second digit of wing) is absent. Ears, wings, and naked dorsal skin are blackish brown. Nostrils are slightly tubular, and each flares outward from centerline.
Habitat. Primary and secondary tropical moist forests, pandanus palms, coconut and cocoa plantations, and village gardens.
Food and Feeding. Beaufort’s Naked-backed Fruit Bat is frugivorous. Native cluster figs (Ficus spp., Moraceae) and invasive Piper aduncum (Piperaceae) are included and probably quite important in its diet. It forages on carambolas (Oxalidaceae) and other fruits in village gardens.
Breeding. Seven of 14 Beaufort’s Naked-backed Fruit Bats examined from Waigeo in December were lactating or pregnant. Females observed on Biak in September were in the first trimester of pregnancy. On Batanta, many pregnant females were observed in October.
Activity patterns. Beaufort’s Naked-backed Fruit Bat is nocturnal and roosts in sea and inland caves.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Beaufort’s Naked-backed Fruit Bat is highly gregarious, sometimes roosting in large colonies of thousands of individuals. It will also roost in smaller groups of tens of individuals in trees.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Beaufort’s Naked-backed Fruit Bat is distributed on a number of islands, presumably has a large population, and is unlikely to be declining at a rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category. Cave disturbanceis a potential threat. Research is needed on extent of occurrence throughout its distribution and monitoring of population sizes over time to establish whether numbers are stable or experiencing decline. Studies also are needed on habitat requirements, food habits, and effects of forest loss and degradation. Additional taxonomic studies are needed to determine how Beaufort’s Nakedbacked Fruit Bat might be related (or even if some populations thought to represent it) or conspecific with closely related Greenish Naked-backed Fruit Bat (D. viridas).
Bibliography. Bergmans (1975), Flannery (1995a), Maryanto & Kitchener (1999), Mildenstein (2016d).
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 111-112, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6448815