128.

Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruit Bat

Styloctenium mindorensis

French: Roussette de Mindoro / German: Mindoro-Streifengesichtflughund / Spanish: Styloctenio de Mindoro

Taxonomy. Styloctenium mindorensis Esselstyn, 2007,

“Mount Siburan, Barangay Batong Buhay, Sablayan Municipality, Occidental Mindoro Province, Mindoro Island, Philippines, at the edge of selectively logged lowland forest and an open field with a few guava trees ( Psidium sp.), approximately 100 m above sea level (12°50.09'N, 120°55.81'E).”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Only known from Mt Siburan on Mindoro, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 148-180 mm (tailless), ear 22-24 mm, hindfoot 31-36 mm, forearm 101-114 mm; weight 149-212 g. Greatest lengths of skulls are 50-9-53- 6 mm. On average, females are possibly larger than males. The Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruit Bat is similar to Wallace's Stripe-faced Fruit Bat (S. wallacei) but generally a little lighter in color and with stronger dentition. Face is zinc-orange to ocher-orange, with white nasal stripe, one spot above each eye, and white mustache intensified by dark edges. Eyes are large, with brown irises. Short ears are pale, rounded but attenuated at tips, and darkened at edges. Throat has brown patch. Dorsal hairs are reddish brown basally and white to orange distally, and ventral hairs are ocherous buff to ocherous orange distally. Forearm has ocherous orange hair. Wings have patterns of translucent bands and dots, with bands generally parallel to digits. Wing membranes attach to sides of back and second toe. Index claw is present. Rostrum is wider than in Wallace's Stripe-faced Fruit Bat. Post-dental palate ends in somewhat lyrate edge, exposing slight sphenoidal crest. Postorbital processes are thin and short. Dentition is generally stronger than in Wallace’s Stripe-faced Fruit Bat. I, and M; are absent. Like Wallace's Stripe-faced Fruit Bat, molars of the Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruit Bat also have rounded and wide occlusal surfaces, but canines are larger with multiple cusps and thus more complex than those of the Mindoro Stripefaced Fruit Bat.

Habitat. Between lowland forests and open land interspersed with some guava trees; dependence on forest is assumed but has not been verified.

Food and Feeding. Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruit Bats probably eat fruits and flower products.

Breeding. One Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruit Bat was pregnant with 30-mm embryo in February.

Activity patterns. The Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruit Bat is probably crepuscular or nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Threats to the Mindoro Stripe-faced Fruit Bat are unclear. It is hunted for food. If it is dependent on lowland forests, population decline can be assumed due to widespread habitatloss. It has not yet been found in protected areas. Research is urgently needed to clarify conservation requirements.

Bibliography. Almeida et al. (2014), Bergmans & Rozendaal (1988), Esselstyn (2007 2008).