The little collared fruit bat (''Myonycteris torquata'') is a species of
megabat in the family Pteropodidae found in
Angola,
Cameroon, the
Central African Republic, the
Republic of the 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 ...
, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Ivory Coast
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 ...
,
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
,
Gabon,
Ghana,
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
,
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 ...
,
Nigeria,
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
,
Sierra Leone,
South Sudan,
Togo, and
Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and moist
savanna.
Anatomy and physiology
The little collared fruit bat was named for its prominent collar of stiff and sticky hairs that line its throat and sides of its neck in adults.
On its dorsal side, its fur is dark chestnut brown and long, compared to its ventral surface which is shorter and paler in color.
White basal
ear tuft
Ear tufts are a collection of fur or feathers found on animals which can resemble an animal's ear or is near the animal's ear.
Cats
Ear tufts are not found on all cat breeds. The ear tufts are located on the tips of cat ears and are also known ...
s and epaulets are absent, helping distinguish the little collared fruit bat from related
fruit bat species.
Ecology
Little is known about the ecology of the little collared fruit bat. According to Bergmans (1976), it appears to be a solitary species, spending most of its time in the rainforest zone and near the forest-savanna boundary.
The little collared bat tends to fly in the upper strata of the forest, sometimes descending to lower levels where it can be observed. Very few specimens are available in collections, suggesting the rarity of the species.
Taxonomy
There is little difference between the two described subspecies ''M. t. leptodon'' and ''M. t. wroughtoni'', and they are often considered undefined taxonomic divisions.
Connection to Ebola virus
The little collared fruit bat is one of three species of African fruit bat in which antibodies to
Ebola virus have been detected along with viral RNA.
No culturable virus has been isolated. It is not known whether these species are incidental hosts or a reservoir of Ebola virus infection for humans and other terrestrial mammals. Despite the fact that scientists have found evidence of
Ebola
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...
infections in the little collared fruit bat, the bats do not seem to get sick.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1763436
Myonycteris
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Mammals described in 1878
Bats of Africa
Taxa named by George Edward Dobson