Pteropus melanotus

Descriptive notes. Tailless, ear 25 - 27 mm, hindfoot 37 - 5 - 52 mm, forearm 110 - 165 mm; weight 220 - 500 g. Greatest lengths of skulls are 72 - 75 - 5 mm and tibias 72 — 76 mm. Claw and tibia lengths of males are only slightly larger than those of females. Subspecies natalis is the smallest, and melanotus is the largest, suggesting largersize in northern subspecies. Fur is short and adpressed on back. Subspecies modiglianii, tytleri, and natalis are black, with sprinklings of white hairs on belly and mantle; other subspecies have dark brown back and rump, with a few whitish hairs, but mid-chest and belly vary from ocherous buffy to deep tawny, with rufous in areas of body where it meets darker color. Subspecies modiglianii and natalis are longer haired. Head and crown are dark brown to blackish, contrasting with tawny to rufous mantle. Ears are broad and narrowly rounded off at tips. Wing membranes of all subspecies are dark brown and arise near sides of spine. Index claw is present. Tibia is naked. Skull has well-developed postorbital process and temporal ridges fused to form a well-developed sagittal crest. Orbits are rather large. Coronoid is moderate and somewhat sloping. Palate ridges: 5 + 5 + 3. Teeth of smaller subspecies do not decrease in size as skulls decrease in size. Cingulum of C' is narrow, and posterior basal ledge of P ° is short. P' is minute and sometimes missing in adults. Posterior ledge of P, is moderate and short in P ,, making both separate posteroexternally from main cusp. Dentition of natalis is slightly different: canine is heavier at base and more recurved, with broad cingulum and slight groove on front face of tooth; P' is larger than in other subspecies; and M * and M, are reduced. Posterior basal ledges of P * and P, are present but shorter.

Sumber: Pteropodidae

New record South Andaman Islands: East Twin Island. Previous records South Andaman Islands: No exact location (ZSIK); Rutland Island, South Sentinel Island, and Port Blair (Mason, 1908; Hill, 1971).

Sumber: Recent surveys of bats from the Andaman Islands, India: diversity, distribution, and echolocation characteristics

Conservation: CITES – Appendix II. IUCN / SSC Action Plan (1992) – Not Threatened. IUCN 2003 – Lower Risk (lc).

Sumber: Order Chiroptera - Family Pteropodidae