Bare-backed fruit bat

The bare-backed fruit bat (Dobsonia moluccensis) is a fruit bat in the family Pteropodidae.

Bare-backed fruit bat

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Dobsonia
Species:
D. moluccensis
Binomial name
Dobsonia moluccensis
Quoy & Gaimard, 1830
Synonyms
  • Hypoderma moluccensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1830
  • Cephalotes peronii É. Geoffroy, 1810

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1830 by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard They placed it in the now-defunct bat genus Hypoderma, with the scientific name H. moluccensis.[2] Its species name "moluccensis" means "belonging to the Moluccas," which is where the species is found.

Description

Its fur is brown and its feet have distinctive white claws. It is smaller than the New Guinea naked-backed fruit bat.[3] Males weigh 380–500 g (0.84–1.10 lb) while females weigh 325–525 g (0.717–1.157 lb). Its ears are pointed, and its second digits lack claws, unlike flying foxes. Its wings attach at the back along the spine rather than along the sides of the body.[4]

Biology and ecology

The bare-backed fruit bat is a seasonal breeder, with the mating season from April to June. Females give birth from mid-August through November.[4]

Range and habitat

The bare-backed fruit bat is found in Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. It has been documented from 0–2,700 m (0–8,858 ft) above sea level.[1]

Conservation

As of 2016, it is considered a least-concern species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this assessment because it has a wide geographic range, and it is locally abundant.[1]

References
  1. Tsang, S.M. (2016). "Dobsonia moluccensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T84882605A22033630. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T84882605A22033630.en.
  2. Quoy, J.R.; Gaimard, J.P. (1830). "Voyage de la corvette l'Astrolabe : exécuté par ordre du roi, pendant les années 1826-1827-1828-1829". 1. Paris :J. Tastu,1830-1834: 86–88. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Flannery, T. (1995). Mammals of the South-West Pacific & Moluccan Islands. Cornell University Press. p. 202. ISBN 978-0801431500.
  4. Nowak, R. M. (1994). Walker's Bats of the World. JHU Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-0801849862.
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