''Pteropus brunneus'' is an extinct species of

flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

in the family Pteropodidae. It was said to be found at Percy Island, southeast of

Mackay, Queensland } Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensland ...

, off the northeast coast of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Taxonomy

A single male specimen was collected in 1874 and deposited at the British Museum of Natural History">--> A single male specimen was collected in 1874 and deposited at the British Museum of Natural History
(BMNH), this skin and skull was estimated to be a near adult. The description for this was published by George Edward Dobson in 1878, in a revision of chiropteran specimens held at the museum. Further details were provided when the specimen was again examined in 1912. Since that record, no further documentation is known of this species; the specimen is still located at BMNH. The description was re-evaluated in the late twentieth century, and recognition as a species is maintained in the third edition of ''The Mammals of Australia'' ('' National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife'', 2008). Speculation on the taxon includes the proposition the specimen may be an undiagnosed vagrant of another species.

Description

A smaller species of genus ''

Pteropus ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

'', the weight estimated to be around . The length of the head and body combined is approximately , the forearm of the single specimen is . Fur colour of this macrobat is uniform across the body, a golden shade of brown. The first description notes the form of the ears, comparing the specimen to those of ''Pteropus keraudrenii'' ('' Pteropus mariannus'') but lacking any hair. The

uropatagium The patagium (: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flying. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, theropod dinosaurs (including b ...

is narrow and obscured across the centre by fur. The hair of the

pelage A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an ...

is longer at the nape, but mostly short elsewhere, the fur at the upper back is slightly appressed and oppositely directed for an inch either side of the centre. Little fur appears at the arm, the legs are almost completely covered with hair. The species bears no resemblance to the Australian pteropodids, the 'flying-foxes', yet was reported to be residing in a large camp that travelled to the Australian mainland to feed.

Distribution and habitat

The presumed distribution is uncertain, and the type location given with the only specimen has been considered questionable. Nominally the range is cited as "Percy Island", long presumed to be part of an offshore island group known as the

Percy Isles The Northumberland Islands are a scattered island chain off the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. Geography and history The Northumberland Islands are to the south-east of the city of Mackay roughly between the latitudes 21°S and 22 ...

that form part of the Northumberland Islands. The exact island of the collection has never been determined. The record of the species was provided by the amateur collector, following a trend amongst British aristocratic explorers for assembling or trading specimen collections that were returned to England. A colony of bats at the island is reported after the collection date, without physical evidence, no later survey has identified a similar megabat camp at the location. Several possibilities have been proposed to account for this species, these include a colony blown to the islands in a

cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

, which became extinct shortly after, or that the locality of the collection was in error. The location might be confirmed by skeletal remains at the purported camp or by discovery of nearby populations.

References

External links

* Andersen, K. 1912. ''Catalogue of the Chiroptera in the collection of the British Museum''. Volume I: Megachiroptera. Second Edition. Johnson Reprint Company, London. * Conder, P. 1995. Dusky flying-fox ''Pteropus brunneus''. pp. 433–434 in R. Strahan (Ed.) ''The Mammals of Australia''. Reed Books, Chatswood, NSW * Strahan, R and Conder, P. 2007. ''Dictionary of Australian and New Guinean Mammals''. CSIRO Publishing, Victoria, Australia. {{Taxonbar, from=Q776898 Pteropus Mammal extinctions since 1500 Mammals described in 1878 Bats of Australia Species known from a single specimen