The Fijian monkey-faced bat (''Mirimiri acrodonta'') Also known as Fijian flying fox or Fijian flying monkey, is a

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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

. It was discovered in old-growth cloud forest on Des Vœux Peak, the second highest mountain peak (1,195 m) on the island of

Taveuni Taveuni (pronounced ) is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, with a total land area of . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated to the east of ...

by William and Ruth Beckon in 1976, and is Fiji's only endemic mammal. It has recently been transferred from ''

Pteralopex ''Pteralopex'' is a genus of large megabats in the family Pteropodidae. Species in this genus are commonly known as "monkey-faced bats". They are restricted to Solomon Islands rain forests in Melanesia, and all species are seriously threatened, b ...

'' to its own

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus ''Mirimiri''.

Taxonomy

When initially encountered, this species was placed in the genus ''

'' (the "monkey-faced bats"). All other members of the genus are found in 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 capita ...

. However, genetics research indicates significant

genetic divergence Genetic divergence is the process in which two or more populations of an ancestral species accumulate independent genetic changes (mutations) through time, often leading to reproductive isolation and continued mutation even after the populations hav ...

between this species and ''Pteralopex''. Because it is no longer classified in the genus ''Pteralopex'', some now refer to it as the Fijian flying fox rather than the Fijian monkey-faced bat.

Description

These bats weigh . Their forearms are long. Their fur is uniformly tan and thick, sometimes hiding their ears. Their eyes are distinctly orange, which helps distinguish this species from other Fijian megabats. Their wings attach to their bodies closer to the spine as opposed to lateral attachment. They lack tails.

Biology and ecology

These bats are difficult to capture and few in number, so little is known about their biology. They appear to shelter in clumps of epiphytic plants that live in the cloud forest canopy. A pregnant individual was once encountered in May.Scanlon, A., Petit, S., & Bottroff, G. (2014). The conservation status of bats in Fiji. Oryx, 48(3), 451-459. In different years, lactating females have been observed in May. Based on the

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 ...

of their teeth, it is thought that they eat tough plants.Scanlon, A. T., & Petit, S. (2016). Capture success of Fijian bats (Pteropodidae) and their evaluation as umbrella species for conservation. Pacific Conservation Biology, 21(4), 315-326.

Distribution and habitat

The Fijian monkey-faced bat is found only on the third-largest island of

. It is only found within the

montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

of the island. It is possible that this species might also be found on the island of

Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 . Geology Fiji lies in a tectonically ...

, but these observations have not been corroborated.Palmeirim, J. M., Champion, A., Naikatini, A., Niukula, J., Tuiwawa, M., Fisher, M., ... & Dunn, T. (2007). Distribution, status and conservation of the bats of the Fiji Islands. ORYX-LONDON-, 41(4), 509. It is the only

that is

to Fiji.Scanlon, A. (2009). The Long-tailed Flying-fox (Notopteris macdonaldi): Viti Levu, Fiji (Doctoral dissertation, Australasian Bat Society).

Conservation

Only six individuals of this species have ever been observed. While its cloud forest is within Taveuni Forest Reserve, this does little to protect the land, as the majority of Fiji's Forest Reserves have been converted to

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

plantations. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. The population size is estimated at less than 1,000 individuals. Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the

Alliance for Zero Extinction Formed in 2000 and launched globally in 2005, the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) comprises 100 non-governmental biodiversity conservation organizations working to prevent species extinctions by identifying and safeguarding sites where species ...

as a species in danger of imminent

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. In 2013,

Bat Conservation International Bat Conservation International (BCI) is an international nongovernmental organization working to conserve bats and their habitats through conservation, education, and research efforts. BCI was founded in 1982 by bat biologist Merlin Tuttle, who ...

listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation. Their habitat is being lost and fragmented by pollution, agriculture, extreme weather, and urbanization.

Climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

is anticipated to shrink cloud forests worldwide, resulting in further habitat loss.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q430645 Mammals described in 1978 Megabats Taveuni Endemic fauna of Fiji Mammals of Fiji Taxa named by John Edwards Hill