''Pteralopex'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of large

megabat Megabats constitute the Family (biology), family Pteropodidae of the Order (biology), order Chiroptera. They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genus, genera ''Acerodon'' and ''Pteropus''—Pteropus, flyin ...

s in the family Pteropodidae. Species in this genus are commonly known as "monkey-faced bats". They are restricted to

Solomon Islands rain forests The Solomon Islands rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion covering the Solomon Islands archipelago. Geography The ecoregion covers the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is divided between the countries of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea ...

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

, and all species are seriously

threatened A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...

, being rated as either

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

.IUCN (2008)
2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Accessed 2008-12-17. Two species, ''P. taki'' and ''P. flanneryi'', have been described since 2000.

Species

The

Fijian monkey-faced bat The Fijian monkey-faced bat (''Mirimiri acrodonta''), also known as the Fijian flying fox or Fijian flying monkey, is a megabat endemic to Fiji. It was discovered in old-growth cloud forest on Des Vœux Peak, the second highest mountain peak () ...

, formerly placed in this genus, has recently been transferred to the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

Mirimiri The Fijian monkey-faced bat (''Mirimiri acrodonta''), also known as the Fijian flying fox or Fijian flying monkey, is a megabat endemic to Fiji. It was discovered in old-growth cloud forest on Des Vœux Peak, the second highest mountain peak () ...

''.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. *

Bougainville monkey-faced bat The Bougainville monkey-faced bat or Bougainville flying monkey (''Pteralopex anceps'') is a megabat endemic to Bougainville Island of Papua New Guinea and Choiseul Island of the Solomon Islands in Melanesia.Bowen-Jones, E., Abrutat, D., Markham, ...

, ''Pteralopex anceps'' *

Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat The Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat or Guadalcanal flying monkey (''Pteralopex atrata'') is a megabat endemic to Solomon Islands. It is listed as an endangered species. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 spe ...

, ''Pteralopex atrata'' *

Greater monkey-faced bat The greater monkey-faced bat or greater flying monkey (''Pteralopex flanneryi'') is a megabat endemic to Solomon Islands, Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea, and nearby small islands. It is listed as a critically endangered species and the popula ...

, ''Pteralopex flanneryi'' *

Montane monkey-faced bat The montane monkey-faced bat or montane flying monkey (''Pteralopex pulchra'') is a megabat endemic to the Solomon Islands. It is listed as a critically endangered species. Due to its imperilled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero ...

, ''Pteralopex pulchra'' *

New Georgian monkey-faced bat The New Georgian monkey-faced bat or New Georgian flying monkey (''Pteralopex taki'') is a recently described species of megabat endemic to the New Georgia and Vangunu Islands. It is presumably extinct on Kolombangara Island, and the remaining p ...

, ''Pteralopex taki''Parnaby, H. E. (2002). ''A taxonomic review of the genus Pteralopex (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), the Monkey-faced Bats of the South-western Pacific.'' Australian Mammalogy. 23: 145-162.

References

Bat genera Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas {{fruit-bat-stub