Bonin flying fox

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Bonin flying fox
A stuffed Bonin flying fox in the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Tokyo.

A stuffed Bonin flying fox in the National Museum of Natural Sciences , Tokyo.

Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Bats (chiroptera)
Family : Fruit bats (Pteropodidae)
Tribe : Actual fruit bats (Pteropodini)
Genre : Pteropus
Type : Bonin flying fox
Scientific name
Pteropus pselaphon
Lay , 1829

The Bonin flying fox ( Pteropus pselaphon on Japanese also オガサワラオオコウモリ Ogasawara ōkōmori called what Ogasawara giant bat means) is a Japanese endemic type of fruit bats . The species has been classified as "critically endangered" on the IUCN list of endangered species due to increasing loss of its habitat .

features

The fur has black and brownish tones, which are occasionally bordered by silvery hair tips. The hair extends over almost the entire dorsal side and about half over the ventral side of the flight membrane . The fur lies smoothly on the body and is curled towards the head, neck and shoulders.

The body length from the tip of the nose to the end of the flight membrane is on average 254 mm, spread out the wings extend to a span of 787 mm. The forearms measure about 132 to 143 mm, in young specimens the length is less than 125 mm. An average specimen weighs 403 to 587 g.

The lifespan in captivity is given as up to 16 years.

Habitat and endangerment

Distribution area of ​​the Bonin flying fox in Japan.

The Bonin flying fox occurs only on the Ogasawara Islands (including the eponymous Bonin Islands ) of Japan, and there only on the islands of Chichi-jima and Haha-jima as well as on Kita-Iwojima , Iwojima and Minami-Iwojima . It is therefore one of the most northerly living species of the fruit bats. On the said islands he lives in subtropical forests, which are often in the middle of steep hills.

In 1969, the fruit bat was added to the list of natural cultural assets and species under Japanese law , which made it illegal to hunt or capture the animals. Since 1994 the Bonin flying fox has been listed as "Endangered" on the IUCN list, then in 2000 it was downgraded to "Critically Endangered" and only downgraded to "Critically Endangered" in 2017. The main reason for the endangerment is the relatively small habitat (Bonin flying foxes live in less than 100 km² of forest area), which on the one hand is widely scattered and on the other hand is shrinking. To make matters worse, the male population of the fruit bats is estimated to be less than 250 individuals. In 1997, it is estimated that the island of Chichi-jima was home to a total of 150 individuals, although this number had shrunk to 65 to 80 animals by 2002. Not only is their habitat constantly being reduced by agricultural undertakings, there is also a clear risk of being hunted by feral cats. It is also believed that the fight for conservation with other invasive species such as rats , spectacled birds and honey bees is taking its toll on the fruit bats.

Specimens have been kept in captivity, such as in the Tama Zoo in Tokyo. However, said animals died in 1998 and 1999 and it is not currently clear whether conservation breeding programs are ongoing .

Naming and taxonomy

When it was first described in 1829, the British naturalist George Tradescant Lay gave the species the name pselaphon . This neo-Latin word comes from the Greek psēlaphan and means to feel around . Lay argued that the fruit bat "has a habit of feeling rather than seeing its surroundings during the day."

In the species-rich genus Pteropus , several groups of species are distinguished on the basis of morphological criteria. Among them, the Bonin flying fox was traditionally seen as the lead species of the pselaphon group, which includes the following species:

Under more recent aspects with regard to phylogenetic studies, however, the species is more likely to be classified in the vampyrus group and would thus belong to the following species:

nutrition

Bonin fruit bats feed herbivorous . The fruits of Manilkara and screw trees are preferred , including those of Pandanus odorifer and Pandanus tectorius . When eating, primarily only the juice is sucked out of the fruit and the rest of the rest is often spurned. Agave americana is also on the menu. Based on research into guano , we know that striped ferns are also consumed. Other plants that are consumed include Annona muricata , Annona squamosa , bananas (fruits, leaves and flowers), blossoms from the travelers ' tree, tree strelitzia and Melaleuca glauca and Melaleuca leucadendra , fruits from Hylocereus undatus , real guava and the Katappenbaum , fruits and blossoms of the Java apple , as well as lychees , real limes , Meyer lemons , pomelos , grapefruits , amanatsus , oranges , tangerines , mangoes , real figs and mulberries .

Reproduction and behavior

When searching for food, the animals move slowly through the treetops. In the hot summer, the animals prefer to rest individually than in larger groups. On the other hand, in winter they gather to form spherical colonies during the day to retain body heat. Individual colonies can grow up to 100 animals.

Bonin flying foxes are not particularly shy of humans. There are reports of homosexual behavior among male individuals, in particular fellatio in other males. Rather, this results from the behavioral pattern of social body care and one attempt to explain is that this ensures more acceptance among males during colony formation, who would otherwise try to displace each other in the mating fight.

Reproduction occurs primarily in the winter colonies, where in some cases up to 27 copulation processes per colony with larger proportions of females could be observed per day. During sexual intercourse, the fruit bats screech loudly and the males lick the female's genitals with their long tongues. It is believed that the species can reproduce all year round. The embryo then matures for 5 to 7 months before the female gives birth to a single young. Most young are seen in August, although they can also be seen in February, March, April, and December.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Yoshiyuki M. (1989). A systematic study of the Japanese Chiroptera. National Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
  2. ↑ a b c d George Tradescant Lay: Observations on a Species of Pteropus from Bonin . Ed .: The Zoological Journal. tape 4 , 1829, pp. 457-9 ( google.com ).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Sugita, N., Inaba, M., & Ueda, K. (2009). Roosting pattern and reproductive cycle of Bonin flying foxes (Pteropus pselaphon). Journal of Mammalogy 90 (1), 195-202.
  4. ↑ a b Abe M., Maeda K., Ishii N., Sano Y. (1994). Distribution, feeding habit, and home range of Pteropus pselaphon. Annual Report of Ogasawara Research 18, 4-43 (in Japanese).
  5. ↑ a b Weigl, R. (2005). Longevity of mammals in captivity; from the living collections of the world. Swiss beard (p. 40).
  6. ↑ Sugita, N., Ootsuki, R., Fujita, T., Murakami, N., & Ueda, K. (2013). Possible spore dispersal of a bird-Nest fern Asplenium setoi by Bonin flying foxes Pteropus pselaphon. Mammal study 38 (3), 225-229.
  7. ↑ Red List of Endangered Species
  8. ↑ Inaba M., Takatsuki S., Ueda K., Izawa M., Suzuki H., Horikoshi K. (2002). An urgent appeal for conservation of the Bonin flying fox, Pteropus pselaphon Layard, an endangered species. Japanese Journal of Conservation Ecology 7, 51-61 (in Japanese with English summary).
  9. ↑ Welch, JN, & Leppanen, C. (2017). The threat of invasive species to bats: a review. Mammal Review 47 (4), 277-290.
  10. ↑ Maarten de Ruiter: Endangered Flying Foxes could be Saved by Captive Breeding . Ed .: International Zoo News. January 1999 ( org.uk ). Endangered Flying Foxes could be Saved by Captive Breeding ( Memento of the original from September 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.izn.org.uk
  11. ↑ Almeida, FC, Giannini, NP, Simmons, NB, & Helgen, KM (2014). Each flying fox on its own branch: a phylogenetic tree for Pteropus and related genera (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 77, 83-95.
  12. ↑ a b Wiles, GJ, & Fujita, MS (1992). Food plants and economic importance of flying foxes on Pacific islands. In: Pacific island flying foxes: Proceedings of an international conservation conference. US Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep 90 (23), 24-35.
  13. ↑ Nakamura, T., Fujita, T., Suzuki, H., & Sugita, N. (2008). Pollen recovered from the feaces of the Bonin flying fox (Pteropus pselaphon Layard, 1829) on Minami-Iwo-To and Chichi-jima Islands. Japanese Journal of Palynology 54, 53-60.
  14. ↑ Inaba, M., Odamaki, M., Fujii, A., Takatsuki, S., Sugita, N., Fujita, T., & Suzuki, H. (2004). Food habits of Bonin flying foxes, Pteropus pselaphon, Layard 1829 on the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan. Ogasawara Research 30, 15-23.
  15. ^ Sugita, N. (2016). Homosexual Fellatio: Erect Penis Licking between Male Bonin Flying Foxes Pteropus pselaphon. PLoS ONE 11 (11), e0166024.

further reading

Web links