Epomophorus gambianus (Ogilby, 1835)

Pteropus gambianus Ogilby, 1835: 100 .

COMMON NAME. — Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bat; EWE: Aguto.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Kalakpa Resource Reserve • 1 ♂; ZTNHC 971; 16.XI.1999 .

REMARK

Only one specimen of this savanna species was captured at a thicket edge in Kalakpa Resource Reserve, a mostly savannacovered legally-protected area in the south of the Volta Region, southeast of the Abutia Hills. Epomophorus gambianus is well documented from Eastern Ghana and Togo and is most common in savanna or secondary savanna areas. During three Belgian expeditions to Togo, including many localities in the Togo Highlands, it was the second most abundant fruit bat after Micropteropus pusillus (Peters, 1868) (DeVree et al. 1969; 1970; De Vree & Van der Straeten 1971). In the Volta Region E. gambianus was previously recorded from Bator, Ho, Keta, Kete Krachi (= Kradji), and Odomi Jongo, 2 miles E Nkwanta (Bergmans 1988).

CONSERVATION STATUS. — Epomophorus gambianus is listed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List. Although rare during our survey, the high abundance of this fruit bat in surveys that included savanna areas make it a species of less concern.