Pteralopex Explained

Pteralopex is a genus of large megabats in the family Pteropodidae. 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

• Bougainville monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex anceps
• Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex atrata
• Greater monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex flanneryi^[2]
• Montane monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex pulchra
• New Georgian monkey-faced bat, Pteralopex taki^[3]

Notes and References

1. IUCN (2008). 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed 2008-12-17.
2. 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.
3. 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.