The greater nectar bat or greater dawn bat (''Eonycteris major'') is a 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 ...

within the genus ''

Eonycteris ''Eonycteris'' ("dawn bat") is a genus of megabats found in Asia. They are the only members of the tribe Eonycterini. Species within this genus are: * Greater nectar bat, ''Eonycteris major'' *Cave nectar bat The cave nectar bat, dawn bat, co ...

''. It is found in

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

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 ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, and 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 ...

. Its range is limited and includes Luzon to Maripipi in the Philippines and scattered parts of Borneo including Tuaran and Ranau in Sabah; Bau, Kuching and Bintulu in Sarawak.

Biology and ecology

All ''E. major'' were mist-netted in sites associated with flowering

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

plants (''

Musa Musa may refer to: Places * Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia * Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon * Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam Province * Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran *Musa, Kerman, Iran * Musa, Bukan, West Azerbaija ...

'' species) found on the edge between primary forest and open or secondary habitats. An individual that was netted and banded at 22:05 on 5 July 1996 was recaptured in another net the following night at 18:50 about 30 m away. This may suggest of stable food resources at the edge or lack of feeding sites elsewhere. The area surrounding Tawau Park is covered

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...

plantations or disturbed habitats. This species usually roosts in caves and hollow trees, but there is little other information on the ecology of this species .

Description

At Tawau Hills in Sabah, a pregnant female had a forearm length of and weighed , another female weighed while a lactating female with a forearm length of weighed . The measurements were consistent with those reported previously elsewhere.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q304951 Eonycteris Endemic fauna of Borneo Bats of Southeast Asia Bats of Indonesia Bats of Malaysia Mammals of Borneo Mammals of Brunei Mammals described in 1910 Taxa named by Knud Andersen