The common tube-nosed fruit bat (''Nyctimene albiventer'') is a species of megabat in the family
Pteropodidae. It is found at islands north of
Australia, and in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
,
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
.
Taxonomy
The first description of ''Nyctimene albiventer'' was provided by
John Edward Gray
John Edward Gray, FRS (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for ...
in 1863, and allied the species by the combination ''Cynopterus albiventer''.
The type, representing subspecies ''Nyctimene albiventer albiventer'', was obtained at the
Moluccas
The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located ...
island group.
A part of the population which occurs on mainland Australia was recognised by this name, but specimens described by
Oldfield Thomas were assigned to the species ''
Nyctimene robinsoni
The eastern or Queensland tube-nosed bat (''Nyctimene robinsoni'') is a megabat in the family Pteropodidae that lives in north-eastern Australia. ''N. robinsoni'' is one of the few species of megabat that roosts solitarily. They get their common ...
'' in 1904.
The name also encompasses populations at locations which are morphologically distinct, in two separate species complexes distributed across the region, with probable and unnamed taxa sometimes occurring in
sympatry; up to three sympatric species may be discerned on the main island of New Guinea.
An available name, recognised as a synonym of the species, is ''Nyctimene papuanus'' K. Andersen, 1910.
Behaviour
The species-group is generally solitary and adopts a daytime roost in dry foliage of the lower to mid storey of the forest. The reproduction is typical of megabats, with a single birth once a year. The offspring is carried by the mother until it advances to an age where it can be left behind while feeding.
Common tube-nosed fruit bats are primarily
frugivores, thriving on raw fruits. To eat, the bat will bite off small chunks of fruit while hanging horizontally. However, occasionally they are also known to eat nectar and the remains of insects.
Distribution and status
The species occurs at the islands north of
Cape York peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupació ...
in Australia, but has not been recorded on the mainland. The distribution range of ''Nyctimene albiventer'', so named, extends from the main island of Papua New Guinea to the Indonesian territories and on the region's smaller island groups. The various forms and populations are found at all altitudes below 1,900.
Conservation
The IUCN classifies the species by the conservation status least concern, but recognises the likelihood of separation of the species and the need for individual revision of these. Some island populations, such as those at the Kei and Moluccan Islands or the Admiralty and Bismarck groups, may be in decline due to acknowledged threats in the region, although the extent of the impact on any putative species has not been evaluated.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1762027
Nyctimene (genus)
Bats of Oceania
Bats of Indonesia
Bats of New Guinea
Mammals of Western New Guinea
Least concern biota of Oceania
Mammals described in 1863
Taxa named by John Edward Gray