Pohle's fruit bat (''Casinycteris ophiodon'') is a near threatened species of

megabat Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera ''Acerodon'' and ''Pteropus''—flying foxes. They are the only member of the su ...

found in the subtropical and tropical forests of

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, the

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, and

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

Taxonomy

In 2014, its taxonomy was revised. While it was previously in the genus '' Scotonycteris'', analysis of

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

showed that it should be placed in ''

Casinycteris ''Casinycteris'' (Short-palated bat) is a genus of bats described in 1910. It currently consists of three species: *Short-palated fruit bat (''Casinycteris argynnis'') *Casinycteris campomaanensis, Campo-Ma’an fruit bat (''Casinycteris campomaa ...

'' to avoid

paraphyly In taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

of ''Scotonycteris''.Hassanin, A. (2014). Description of a new bat species of the tribe Scotonycterini (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae) from southwestern Cameroon. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 337(2), 134-142.

Description

Pohle's fruit bats are also known as 'tear-drop' fruit bats because of the prominent tear-like white spots found on both sides of their eyes and on their upper lips. Their fur is tinted and the wings are dark brown. They measure 74-78 millimeters and weigh between 35 and 60 grams.Kingdon, Jonathan. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. California: Academic Press, 1997. They live in the lowland forests of

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...

, mostly in the lowest level of

undergrowth Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in the lower part of a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. The height of undergrowth is usually considered to be 0.3 – 3 m (1 – 9 ft.). Undergrowth can also refer to all ...

, where they feed on various fruits and flowers. The main threats to the species' habitat include agriculture, mining, logging, and other human disturbances such as fire. There are established policy-based legislation actions as well as habitat and site-based action in protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1768584 Casinycteris Bats of Africa Mammals described in 1943