New Ireland masked flying fox
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Pteropus
Species:
P. ennisae
Binomial name
Pteropus ennisae
Flannery & White, 1991

The New Ireland masked flying fox (Pteropus ennisae) is a species of megabat that is endemic to Papua New Guinea.

Taxonomy and etymology

The New Ireland masked flying fox was initially described in 1991 by Tim Flannery and J. P. White, who regarded it as a subspecies of Temminck's flying fox (Pteropus temminckii ennisae). The holotype had been collected by Flannery, Lester Seri, T. Heinsohn, and Patricia Ennis on the island of New Ireland in 1988. In a 1995 publication, Flannery considered it instead as a subspecies of the Bismarck masked flying fox (Pteropus capistratus ennisae).[2] However, a 2014 study found that the genetic distance between P. capistratus and P. c. ennisae (4.7%), along with several physical differences, was enough to warrant elevating P. ennisae to species level.[3] The eponym for the species name ennisae is Patricia "Tish" Ennis.[4]

Description

Individuals have a mass of 170–250 g (6.0–8.8 oz), a head and body length of 155–185 mm (6.1–7.3 in) and a forearm length of 109.0–118.5 mm (4.29–4.67 in). It can be differentiated from the Bismarck masked flying fox by its indistinct facial markings, darker claws, and darker flight membranes. The top of its head lacks the yellowish tint seen in the Bismarck masked flying fox.[4]

Range and habitat

The New Ireland masked flying fox is endemic to the island of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. It is found in forested habitat from sea level to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level.[1]

Conservation

As of 2022, it is considered a vulnerable species by the IUCN. Its population is thought to number between 9,000 and 10,000 mature individuals with a declining trend. It is an uncommon species, occurring in a low density throughout its range. There is extensive and ongoing deforestation on Papua New Guinea that is causing habitat loss.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tsang, S.M.; Waldien, D.L.; Pennay, M. (2022). "Pteropus ennisae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T84883915A209887353. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T84883915A209887353.en. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  2. ↑ Parnaby, H.; Ingleby, S.; Divljan, A. (2017). "Type specimens of non-fossil mammals in the Australian Museum, Sydney". Records of the Australian Museum. 69 (5): 388. doi:10.3853/j.2201-4349.69.2017.1653.
  3. ↑ Almeida, Francisca C.; Giannini, Norberto P.; Simmons, Nancy B.; Helgen, Kristofer M. (2014). "Each flying fox on its own branch: A phylogenetic tree for Pteropus and related genera (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 77: 83–95. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.03.009. hdl:11336/12485. PMID 24662680.
  4. 1 2 Lavery, T.; Flannery, T. (2023). Mammals of the South-west Pacific. CSIRO Publishing. p. 358. ISBN 9781486312641.
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