Sierra Leone collared fruit bat (''Myonycteris leptodon'') is a species of

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 ...

found in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

Taxonomy

The Sierra Leone collared fruit bat was described as a new species in 1908 by Danish mammalogist Knud Andersen. The

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

had been collected by J. Hickman in Sierra Leone. It was considered a subspecies of the little collared fruit bat (''Myonycteris torquatus'') beginning in 1976; a 2013 study determined that the taxon was indeed genetically distinct enough to be considered a full species.

Description

The Sierra Leone collared fruit bat males weigh an average of , while females weigh an average of . Male forearm lengths are about compared to females at . For both sexes, the average head and body length is .

Biology and ecology

Along with the straw-colored fruit bat and Veldkamp's dwarf epauletted fruit bat, the Sierra Leone collared fruit bat is one of the only African megabats believed to have

seasonal migration Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migration in ecology. It is found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, ...

. It roosts singly or in small groups during the day.

Range and habitat

The Sierra Leone collared fruit bat is found throughout

, including: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo. It is often found in lowland tropical forests, though has also been documented in habitats that are a mix of forest and grassland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q81849708 Myonycteris Mammals described in 1908 Bats of Africa Taxa named by Knud Andersen