Pteralopex is a genus of large megabats in the family Pteropodidae.[1] Species in this genus are commonly known as "monkey-faced bats". They are restricted to Solomon Islands rain forests in Melanesia, and all species are seriously threatened, being rated as either endangered or critically endangered by IUCN.[2] Two species, P. taki and P. flanneryi, have been described since 2000.
Species
The Fijian monkey-faced bat, formerly placed in this genus, has recently been transferred to the monotypic Mirimiri.[3]
- Bougainville monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex anceps
- Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex atrata
- Greater monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex flanneryi[3]
- Montane monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex pulchra
- New Georgian monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex taki[4]
References
- ^ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ IUCN (2008). 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed 2008-12-17.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.