Andersen's flying fox (''Pteropus intermedius'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae found in south

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

and west

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Although it is hunted for both food and as a pest, it is not known if this has a significant impact on the species. It has been seen roosting in tall, well-established trees in urban areas and will fly several kilometres to eat wild and cultivated fruits. The species was named after Knud Christian Andersen. It was last recorded in Thailand in 1970 and, presumably, there is still a small viable population in Myanmar.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1908 by Danish mammalogist Knud Andersen. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

had been collected by

William Ruxton Davison William Ruxton Davison (died 25 January 1893) was a British ornithologist and collector. Davison was born in Burma but grew up mainly in Ootacamund in southern India. He worked as a private collector and museum curator for Allan Octavian Hume bef ...

and presented to Andersen by Allan Octavian Hume. There is taxonomic uncertainty regarding this species: some have published that it is likely

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with the Indian flying fox while other have published that it is synonymous with the large flying fox. Its species name "''

intermedius The vastus intermedius () (Cruraeus) arises from the front and lateral surfaces of the body of the femur in its upper two-thirds, sitting under the rectus femoris muscle and from the lower part of the lateral intermuscular septum. Its fibers end ...

''" is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "intermediate;" Andersen may have chosen that name because he compared it to both the Indian flying fox and the large flying fox.

Description

Andersen wrote that it was "scarcely distinguishable" from the Indian flying fox based on its skull

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

dentition Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolo ...

, and external characters. He distinguished it as a new species based by the color of its breast and belly, which he described as

seal brown Seal brown is a rich dark brown color, resembling the color of the dyed fur from the fur seal. Usage The specifications for the U.S. Army Air Corps Type A-2 jacket (regulation summer flying jacket), adopted in 1931 and the most familiar among a ...

. Its forearm is approximately long.

Range and habitat

The

was collected in Moulmein, Myanmar. Its range includes Myanmar and

Conservation

It is currently evaluated as

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. The IUCN refers to its validity as a species as "dubious", citing their belief that future research will synonymize it with the Indian flying fox. It meets the criteria for data deficient because there is a scarcity of information on its population size and trend, as well as any threats it may be facing.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q621748 Pteropus Mammals described in 1908 Taxa named by Knud Andersen Mammals of Myanmar Mammals of Thailand Bats of Southeast Asia