Fijian Monkey-faced Bat

Fijian Monkey-faced Bat
Fijian monkey-faced bat
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Mirimiri
Helgen, 2005
Species: M. acrodonta
Binomial name
Mirimiri acrodonta
(Hill & Beckon, 1978)
Fijian Monkey-faced Bat range
Synonyms

Pteralopex acrodonta

The Fijian monkey-faced bat (Mirimiri acrodonta), also called the Fiji Flying Fox,[1] is an megabat endemic to Fiji. It was discovered the hills of Taveuni by Bill Beckon in 1977 and is Fiji's only endemic mammal.[2] It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss.[3] It has recently been transferred from Pteralopex to its own monotypic genus Mirimiri.[4]

References

  1. ^ Wesley, F. Myth, truth and the bat. The Fiji Times Online. 2007-08-27.
  2. ^ "Kula Ecopark". Archived from the original on 2007-09-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20070919011449/http://www.fijiwild.com/pages/fauna.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-18. 
  3. ^ Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996). Pteralopex acrodonta. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR A1c, B1+2c v2.3)
  4. ^ Helgen, K. M. (2005). Systematics of the Pacific monkey-faced bats (Chiroptera : Pteropodidae), with a new species of Pteraloplex and a new Fijian genus. Systematics and Biodiversity, 3(4):433-453.