- Home
- Epomophorus wahlbergi
Epomophorus wahlbergi
Order: Chiroptera > Family: Pteropodidae > Genus: Epomophorus > Species: Epomophorus wahlbergi
Common Name: Wahlberg's Epauletted Fruit Bat [English]
Type Description
Ofv. Kongl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Forhandl. Stockholm, 3(4):118.
Type Locality
South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Prov., near Durban.
Measurements
Total length: 142-170 mm
Head and body: 110-175 mm
Tail length: 4-6 mm
Hindfoot length: 21-24 mm
Ear length: 23-25 mm
Forearm Length: 72-98 mm
Weight: 54-120 g
Head and body: 110-175 mm
Tail length: 4-6 mm
Hindfoot length: 21-24 mm
Ear length: 23-25 mm
Forearm Length: 72-98 mm
Weight: 54-120 g
Description
Like all Epomophorus, this species is light brown with white patches of fur at the base of the ears. The males have scented white tufts on the shoulders used to attract females. Of the Epomophorus that occur in Tanzania, this species is one of the largest and most widespread. It is one of only two species within the genus with a forearm that is greater than 67 mm.
Comparisons
Only E. gambianus has a forearm as long, and in that species there is more than one transverse ridge behind the cheekteeth.
Distribution
Not found at altitudes above 2,000 m, Epomophorus wahlbergi , a savanna, woodland, and forest species, is distributed throughout southeastern Africa from Somalia and Kenya in the north down through Tanzania to Angola and northern South Africa. (Kingdon, 1984, 1997) Bergmans (1988) recorded this species in Tanzania in mainly the eastern half of the country.
Key References
1. Acharya, L. 1992. Epomophorus wahlbergi. Mammalian Species, 394:1-4.
2. Bergmans, W., 1988. Taxonomy and biogeography of African fruit bats (Mammalia, Megachiroptera). 1. General introduction; material and methods; results: the genus Epomophorus Bennett, 1836. Beaufortia 38, 75-146.
3. Bergmans, W. 1997. Taxonomy and biogeography of African fruit bats (Mammalia, Megachiroptera). 5. The genera Lissonycteris Anderson, 1912, Myonycteris Matschie, 1899 and Megaloglossus Pagenstecher, 1885; general remarks and conclusions; annex: Key to all species. Beaufortia 47: 11-90.
4. Kingdon, J. 1984. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Insectivores and Bats). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2A:156-158.
5. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 115-116.
6. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:258-260, 281-282.
7. Simmons, N.B. 2005. Order Chiroptera, pp. 312-529. In Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder, eds., Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
8. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.
2. Bergmans, W., 1988. Taxonomy and biogeography of African fruit bats (Mammalia, Megachiroptera). 1. General introduction; material and methods; results: the genus Epomophorus Bennett, 1836. Beaufortia 38, 75-146.
3. Bergmans, W. 1997. Taxonomy and biogeography of African fruit bats (Mammalia, Megachiroptera). 5. The genera Lissonycteris Anderson, 1912, Myonycteris Matschie, 1899 and Megaloglossus Pagenstecher, 1885; general remarks and conclusions; annex: Key to all species. Beaufortia 47: 11-90.
4. Kingdon, J. 1984. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Insectivores and Bats). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2A:156-158.
5. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 115-116.
6. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:258-260, 281-282.
7. Simmons, N.B. 2005. Order Chiroptera, pp. 312-529. In Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder, eds., Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
8. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.