Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat

Taxobox
name = Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat and is also called the platupus


image_width =
status =
trend =
status_system = iucn2.3
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Chiroptera
familia = Pteropodidae
genus = "Styloctenium"
species = "S. mindorensis"
range_

range_map_width=156px
range_map_caption="Styloctenium" range map. The entire island of Mindoro is highlighted in red, the type locality of "S. mindorensis" in dark red.
binomial = "Styloctenium mindorensis"
binomial_authority = Esselstyn, 2007The Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat ("Styloctenium mindorensis"), nicknamed the "flying fox" or the platupus for its foxlike face (although it is not a flying fox bat), is a species of large Philippine fruit bat. It is endemic to the island of Mindoro. "S. mindorensis" is a typical fruit bat, possessing modified forearms for flight, short clawed hind legs and large ears for use in echolocation. The bat shares many anatomical features with the rest of its genus, which was originally described from just one species. These include an overall orange pelage, a white stripe down the middle of the bat's rostrum and white spots above its eyes. "S. mindorensis" can be distinguished from the other member of its genus by its possession of multicusped lower and upper canine teeth.cite journal | last =Esselstyn | first =Jacob A. | authorlink =Jacob Esselstyn | title =A new species of stripe-faced fruit bat (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae: "Styloctenium") from the Philippines | journal =Journal of Mammalogy | volume =88 | issue =4 | pages =951–958 | date =August 2007 | url = | doi =10.1644/06-MAMM-A-294R.1 | accessdate =2007-09-20]

Because of its distinct morphological features, it was placed in the genus "Styloctenium". Prior to this, the genus was only described from one species, the Indonesian "Styloctenium wallacei".ITIS | ID = 631304 | taxon = Styloctenium | year = 2007 | date = 20 September] The second species in the genus to be discovered, it was formally described by Jacob Esselstyn in the August 2007 issue of the Journal of Mammalogy. Existence of the bat was originally encountered by Esselstyn from anecdotal stories by locals in barangay Batong Buhay in the municipality of Sablayan in the province of Occidental Mindoro. The researchers remained skeptical of the species' existence until a live specimen was unexpectedly found in February 2006. The bat was unintentionally caught in one of their nets used for surveying the local fauna. "S. mindorensis" is the 74th chiropteran species to be found in the Philippines and the country's 26th endemic one.cite news | title =Philippines finds new breed of flying fox | work =Reuters | language =English | publisher =Reuters | date =2007-09-16 | url =http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1632699720070917 | accessdate =2007-09-20 ] cite news | title = New bat species discovered in Philippines | work =Yahoo! News | language =English | publisher =Yahoo! Inc. | date =2007-09-16 | url =http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070917/sc_afp/philippineswildlifebat_070917032659 | accessdate =2007-09-20] cite news | last =Adraneda | first =Katherine | title =New bat species discovered in Mindoro | work = | language =English | publisher =The Philippine Star | date =2007-09-17 | url = | accessdate =2007-09-20]

While no population studies has been done so far on the species, it has been suggested that it may be threatened by hunting and habitat loss due to the general deforestation of forests on Mindoro. Along with other large pteropodids on the island, the bat is hunted by the locals for use as food. The describer went so far as to state that because of these threats, the species may be at risk of extinction.

Trivia

The Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat ranked sixth in the top ten species of 2008, selected by the International Institute for Species Exploration [http://www.species.asu.edu/2008_species06.php] .

References

Bibliography

*cite journal | last =Esselstyn | first =Jacob A. | authorlink =Jacob Esselstyn | title =A new species of stripe-faced fruit bat (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae: "Styloctenium") from the Philippines | journal =Journal of Mammalogy | volume =88 | issue =4 | pages =951–958 | date =August 2007 | url = | doi =10.1644/06-MAMM-A-294R.1 | accessdate =2007-09-20

External links

* [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070918-flying-fox.html Photo at NationalGeographic.com]