Dobsonia
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Moluccan bareback bat ( Dobsonia moluccensis ), stuffed specimen |
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| Dobsonia | ||||||||||||
| Palmer , 1898 |
Dobsonia is a genus in the group of bare-backed flight dogs with 13 species that occur in Southeast Asia and the Australis region.
features
These flying foxes reach a head-trunk length of 102 to 242 mm, a tail length of 13 to 39 mm, a forearm length of 74 to 161 mm and a weight of 68 to 600 g. As the German name suggests, the small night-backed flight dog ( Dobsonia minor ) is the smallest species, while the Moluccan night-backed flight dog ( Dobsonia moluccensis ) is the largest species of the genus. With regard to the coat color, light brown to gray-black tones with olive-colored shades dominate, but there are larger variations.
As with the Bulmer black-backed flight hound ( Aproteles bulmerae ), which belongs to the same genus , the skins on the middle of the back are connected to one another, which is reflected in the German trivial name. This trait is still found in the bald-backed bats ( Pteronotus ), but they belong to a different suborder. The representatives of the genus have pointed ears and no claw on the index finger.
Types and distribution
The IUCN lists the following species to the genus.
- Andersen's bare back bat ( Dobsonia anderseni ), lives on islands of the Bismarck Archipelago .
- Waigeo black-backed ugly dog ( Dobsonia beauforti ), inhabits smaller islands around the Vogelkop peninsula ( New Guinea ).
- Chapman bare-backed bat ( Dobsonia chapmani ), is endemic to Negros Island ( Philippines ).
- Halmahera blackback bat ( Dobsonia crenulata ), occurs on Halmahera , Sulawesi and other Indonesian islands.
- Biak bare-backed bat ( Dobsonia emersa ), lives on Biak and other islands north of New Guinea.
- Sulawesi hairless bat ( Dobsonia exoleta ), inhabits Sulawesi and smaller surrounding islands.
- Solomon Islands blackback bat ( Dobsonia inermis ), is native to the Solomon Islands .
- Small bare-backed bat ( Dobsonia minor ), occurs in New Guinea as well as on surrounding islands.
- Moluccan blackback bat ( Dobsonia moluccensis ), lives on a number of Indonesian islands as well as New Guinea and the Australian Cape York Peninsula . The taxon Dobsonia magna was considered an independent species for a long time, but has been a synonym since 2006 .
- Panniet-backed bat ( Dobsonia pannietensis ), inhabits smaller islands east of New Guinea.
- Western black-backed bat ( Dobsonia peronii ), is common on the Lesser Sunda Islands .
- New Britain black-backed bat ( Dobsonia praedatrix ), occurs in the Bismarck Archipelago.
- Green backback bat ( Dobsonia viridis ), lives on the central islands of the Moluccas .
Way of life
The species usually rest in caves, tunnels or similar hiding spots and rarely in tree tops, which distinguishes them from other fruit bats. Specimens have been registered in New Guinea at an altitude of 2,700 meters. The animals rest individually or in larger colonies with a few thousand individuals. These fruit bats feed on fruits and other parts of plants, such as B. Figs or flowers of the bloodwood tree ( Haematoxylum campechianum ).
Reproductive behavior varies between species and populations. In general, one young is born per litter. Specimens of the Moluccan blackbacked ugly dog reached sexual maturity after about two years.
Endangerment and Status
Species with a limited range are mainly threatened by deforestation. Some fruit bats are killed or significantly disturbed in connection with the harvest of bat guano . The IUCN lists the Chapman-nude inverted dog as threatened with extinction ( critically endangered ), the Biak nude inverted dog as vulnerable ( Vulnerable ) and the Panniet nude inverted dog in the early warning ( Near Threatened ). The other species are not considered to be endangered ( Least Concern ).
Individual evidence
- ^ Wilson & Reeder (eds.): Mammal Species of the World . 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Dobsonia ).
- ↑ a b c d e Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 1. 6th edition. 1999, pp. 273-276, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 . Bare-backed Fruit Bats (partial view)
- ↑ a b Dobsonia in the IUCN 2016 Red List of Threatened Species . Accessed November 6, 2016.
