Pteropus subniger (Dark Flying Fox)

[Melly]

Lesser Mascarene Flying fox Pteropus subniger

Range and Population Pteropus subniger was known from Mauritius and Réunion. It is believed to have become extinct from Mauritius between 1864 and 1873. It is likely to have disappeared from Réunion in the 1860s. It may have lasted a little longer but is now certain to be extinct. In the 1730s it was common enough to considered for the bat oil trade. Was restricted to elevations of between 1,200 and 1,600 m.
Habitat and Ecology Roosted in trees and was sometimes found in rocks.
Its very long and dense fur suggest that it may have had a preference for cool roosting places, such as the higher altitudes in Reunion, and its reported ability to exploit suitably rocky substrates indicate that it was not dependent on forest or even trees for roosting places.

Threats Both deforestation and local hunting are thought to have contributed to the extinction of this species. It was thought to have lived in hollow trees.

[sebbe67]

www.amonline.net.au/mammals/images/collections/200/extinct_flying_fox_37.jpg


here is a stuffed specimens of this species.

[Peter]

The Paris National Museum of Natural History (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle) in France has also a stuffed specimen.

[another specialist]

www.extinct-species.com/html/bronzes/details/bat/pb1-details-bat-fr.htm

www.extinct-species.com/images/bronzes/details/bat/fruitbatmodel4.jpg [/img]

a wax model from the Extinct Species in Bronze Project

[another specialist]

Here is image uploaded that sebbe67 found....

[another specialist]

www.ejufu.com/attachment/2005/03/42365c2b-d50-schouten-agin_009-small_mauritian_flying_fox-embed.jpg


gap in nature


sorry. there are people who cannot display this picture because the size is too large.

Melanie.

[another specialist]

Gap in nature

[sebbe67]

Early observers record that up to four hundred would crowd together at a single roost, in a cave or in an ancient, hollow tree. Both roosting places are unusual for flying-foxes, which prefer the branches of large trees. Locals believed that no matter how large the roost, only a single male would be present. This may indicate that the sexes roosted separately and that perhaps the large roosts were maternity colonies. It was strictly nocturnal in its habits and its delicate teeth indicated that it probably fed upon nectar and possibly soft fruit.

Its habit of roosting en masse in old trees and caves may have left it vulnerable to both forest clearence and hunting. In any case, it appears to have vanished well before the close of the nineteenth centrury. The effect of its extinction on the Mascerene forest remain unknown, but one wonder whether it was the sole pollinator or agent of dispersal for any long extinct plant species. There is still specimens in Paris, London, Berlin and Sydney.

from Gap in nature and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Mauritian_flying_fox

[another specialist]

Common Name/s
DARK FLYING FOX (E)
LESSER MASCARENE FLYING-FOX (E)
ZORRO VOLADOR OSCURO DE MAURICIO (S)

Justification

The last authentic record of this species on Mauritius was in 1859, but it is believed to have died out between 1864 and 1873. On Réunion, no new records appeared after 1862 and it seems probable that it became extinct in the 1860s.

Range

Pteropus subniger was known from Mauritius and Réunion.

Population

It is believed to have become extinct from Mauritius between 1864 and 1873. It is likely to have disappeared from Réunion in the 1860s. It may have lasted a little longer but is now certain to be extinct. In the 1730s it was common enough to considered for the bat oil trade. Was restricted to elevations of between 1,200 and 1,600 m.

Habitat and Ecology

Roosted in trees and was sometimes found in rocks.
Its very long and dense fur suggest that it may have had a preference for cool roosting places, such as the higher altitudes in Reunion, and its reported ability to exploit suitably rocky substrates indicate that it was not dependent on forest or even trees for roosting places.

Threats

Both deforestation and local hunting are thought to have contributed to the extinction of this species. It was thought to have lived in hollow trees.

www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/18761/all

[Bhagatí]

Pteropus subniger by founded on:

bvi.rusf.ru/sista/s00748.htm#t



and Photo by K.B.Sandved

[Melanie]

wrong photograph. this is pteropus niger and not pteropus subniger!!

[another specialist]

I agree with Melanie. Its just one of those many errors you find on the web. Remember you can't trust everything you see or hear about.

[Bhagatí]

It's not true!
In my hands was a book Fauna Mira (english name Fauna of the World) and part Mlekopitajuščije (english name - a part Mammals).
In this book by publicated this photo.
This book was go out by year 1990.
And autor's name is Sokolov V.E.
This is no error on internet, but thus is true!
A book Fauna of the World from Sokolov V.E. is really go out on year 1990
and it's no mistake!
And finally on this russian page of internet by this photo's from this
book. Remember on:
Chaetomys subspinosus, by Yours citated.
Thank's for understanding.

[another specialist]

For starters if this was Pteropus subniger it was believed to have become extinct from Mauritius between 1864 and 1873.

This photo is in colour and very modern/recent.

[another specialist]

Two types of frugivorous bats were endemic to the region: (1) Pteropus niger and Pteropus subniger and (2) Pteropus rodriguensis found in Rodrigues.

Pteropus subniger disappeared by the mid nineteenth century whereas the Pteropus niger is still to be found in parts of the remaining native forest. The Pteropus rodriguensis can be found on Rodrigues where it numbers around 200 individuals.

www.intnet.mu/iels/Fauna_mau.htm

[another specialist]

Pteropus subniger is partially black (other colours shade of brown)

Pteropus niger is all black

look at photos above for comparasions.

[Bhagatí]

I'm not chiroptera specialist and not oracle on this problematic.
It will true, what me informated be about this 2 flying foxes species.
But a russian page informated about Pteropus subniger with image.
A latin name niger (is absolutly black) and subniger (partially black).
Thank's for this important info. I had drive on racio, not sensitive!
What a shame.

[Deleted]

baghira said:

It's not true!
In my hands was a book Fauna Mira (english name Fauna of the World) and part Mlekopitajuščije (english name - a part Mammals).
In this book by publicated this photo.
This book was go out by year 1990.
And autor's name is Sokolov V.E.
This is no error on internet, but thus is true!
A book Fauna of the World from Sokolov V.E. is really go out on year 1990
and it's no mistake!
And finally on this russian page of internet by this photo's from this
book. Remember on:
Chaetomys subspinosus, by Yours citated.
Thank's for understanding.

Even authors of books can make errors - and actually they do very often !

Even in such comprehensive works like this one:

www.pacificislandbooks.com/JPEGS/Birds%20of%20Hawaii%20and%20the%20%20Tropical%20Pacific.jpg

There are many, many errors on the colour-plates, mostly mistaken names, and also fictitious plumages etc., unbelievable but true.

But in the case of those two bats the author may just have mistaken the two names niger and subniger, which can happen easily.

[another specialist]

Its ok Baghira all sorted out now.

[another specialist]

Fig.10. Fruit bats or Flying Foxes Pteropus sp. (Julian Hume)

The large Pteropus fruit bats have colonised many of the Indian oceanic islands and Mauritius once harboured two species. The Greater Flying Fox Pteropus major is very rare whilst the Lesser Flying Fox Pteropus subniger is now extinct. The smaller species was very specialised and formed colonies inside hollow trees. Hunters simply had to set fires at the base of the tree to smoke the animals out and place a sack over the entrance hole so the entire colony could be taken. This species was last collected in the 1850s.

www.naturalis.nl/asp/page.asp?alias=naturalis.nl&view=naturalis.nl&id=i000256&frameurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.natura lis.nl%2Fget%3Fsite%3Dnaturalis.nl%26view%3Dnaturalis.nl%26id%3Di001200%26logId%3Dl000024%26execute%3Dshowsingleitem

tinyurl.com/396oxo