Tailess fruit bat

Tailess fruit bat
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Pteropodidae
Genus:	Megaerops
Species:	M. ecaudatus
Binomial name
Megaerops ecaudatus (Temminck, 1837)
Tailess Fruit Bat range

The Tailess Fruit Bat (Megaerops ecaudatus) is a species of megabat.

Distribution

Individuals have been found in the lowland primary forest at Poring in Sabah and Taleban in Thailand, Bario highland and secondary forest of Balui both in Sarawak. M. ecaudatus ranges in the primary forest and open habitat (Medway 1978, Payne et al. 1985). It ranges from Thailand, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra; Kinabalu, Danum, Tawau, and Tenom in Sabah; Temburong and Tasik Merimbun in Brunei; Bario in Sarawak; Kapuas and Kutai in Kalimantan. (Payne et al. 1985).

Biology and ecology

Two males and two females were captured in various habitats. An adult female was collected in April 1995 and adult male on April 1996. A subadult female was taken from the Balui secondary forest in June 1994 while an immature was collected from the primary forest in Taleban on 28 March 1997. In Cameron Highlands, Peninsula Malaysia, females were pregnant in February and extending to March and June (Medway 1978). Females with suckling juveniles were also observed in November (Medway 1978). A specimen MTA96004 was collected in the canopy net approximately 30 m above ground level. The specimen BD013 was collected at 1,100 m elevation in Bario upland. According to Lekagul and McNeely (1977), M. ecaudatus have been recorded both in the lowland and mountain up to 3,000 m in Thailand.

External measurements

• Forearm length = 52.90-58.00, tail length (TL) = none, Ear length (EL) = 12.00-16.00, TB = 20.00-22.00, WT = 21.50-32.00, Wingspan (WS) = 358(1), Fifth finger (D5) = 68.40; 2 samples.

References

• Hall LS, Gordon G. Grigg, Craig Moritz, Besar Ketol, Isa Sait, Wahab Marni and M.T. Abdullah. 2004. Biogeography of fruit bats in Southeast Asia. Sarawak Museum Journal LX(81):191-284.
• Karim, C., A.A. Tuen and M.T. Abdullah. 2004. Mammals. Sarawak Museum Journal Special Issue No. 6. 80: 221—234.
• Mohd. Azlan J., Ibnu Maryanto , Agus P. Kartono and M.T. Abdullah. 2003 Diversity, Relative Abundance and Conservation of Chiropterans in Kayan Mentarang National Park, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Sarawak Museum Journal 79: 251-265.
• Hall LS, Richards GC, Abdullah MT. 2002. The bats of Niah National Park, Sarawak. Sarawak Museum Journal. 78: 255-282.

External links

• Bat World Sanctuary
• Rodrigues Fruit Bats
• Bat Conservation International