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| Mindanao Pygmy Fruit Bat Alionycteris paucidentata Kock, 1969 |
| Common Names: Paniki, kabag, bayakan
Status: Common in appropriate high-elevation habitat; geographically restricted. IUCN: VULNERABLE Habitat: Known only from primary forest on Mt. Katanglad, Bukidnon Province. Absent in lowland forest. Uncommon in montane forest from 1600 m to 1900 m, common in mossy forest at 2250 m (and probably above; Heaney et al., unpubl. data). Distribution: Philippines only; endemic to Mindanao Island (Bukidnon province [FMNH]). The single species, A. paucidentata, is known only by seven specimens from Mount Kitanglad, Bukidnon Province, Mindanao, Philippines - can be found in the lowland forests Description / Behavior: Head and body length was 64 mm in each of three specimens, and forearm length was 43.7-45.6 mm in five. The fur is brownish black in color, and on the dorsal side there are numerous soft guard hairs that are about double the length of the underfur. The blackish ears are naked, their edges being slightly thickened, as is usual in related genera. The rear legs, feet, and toes are thickly haired, as is the proximal third of the underarms. Alionycteris is a very small, long-haired flying fox related to Cynopterus. It has long thumbs, no external tail, no interfemoral membrane, and no postorbital foramina. The divided naked nose is composed of two 4-mm-long cylinders that stand free on the end. The dental formula, which distinguishes this genus from all other known genera, is: (i 1/1, c 1/1, pm 3/3, m 1/2) × 2 = 26.
Kock (1969b) wrote that the various dental and cranial characters suggest
that this bat consumes very soft food. The thick hair covering of the body
suggests that Alionycteris is adapted for life at higher elevations
in the mountains. Photograph Information: Courtesy of the JHU. Not actual size. An illustration of A. paucindentata 's skull., "A Synopsis of the Mammalian Fauna of the Philippine Islands" by ©2002 (photograph by L. Heaney) |
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