Macroglossus sobrinus K. Andersen 1911

74.

Greater Long-tongued Blossom Bat

Macroglossus sobrinus

French: Grand Macroglosse / German: GroRer Langzungenflughund / Spanish: Macroglosus grande

Other common names: Greater Long-nosed Blossom Bat, Greater Long-nosed Fruit Bat, Greater Long-tongued Fruit Bat, Greater Nectar Bat, Hill Long-tongued Blossom Bat, Hill Long-tongued Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Macroglossus minimus sobrinus RK. Andersen, 1911,

“Gunong lgari [= Mount Igari], Perak,” Malaysia.

Although M. sobrinus and M. minimus are currently considered distinct species based on morphology, genetic data do not support this in Indochina. Additional genetic and morphometric research with samples from throughout their distributions is needed to resolve taxonomy of Macroglossus. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

M.s.sobrinusK.Andersen,1911—NEIndia(Sikkim,WestBengal,ArunachalPradesh,Nagaland,Meghalaya,Mizoram,andTripura),SCChina(SYunnan),mainlandSEAsia,Sumatra,Simeulue,Nias,Krakatau,Java,andBaliIs.

M.s. fraternus Chasen & Kloss, 1928 — Mentawai Is (Siberut, Sipora, and North Pagai).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 70-89 mm, tail ¢. 0-6 mm, ear 14-19 mm, hindfoot 10-18 mm, forearm 38-52 mm; weight 18-29 g. The Greater Long-tongued Blossom Bat is very similar to the Lesser Long-tongued Blossom Bat (M. minimus) but can be distinguished by being generally larger with longer muzzle, its more prominent chin, slightly more forward-facing nostrils, and lack of grooves on upper lip. Head and muzzle are elongated, with very long papillae-tipped tongue, and nostrils are rounded and forward facing. Dorsal pelage is clay to buffy brown, with pale base to hair; ventral pelage is paler and grayer, being almost creamy. Ears are relatively long, rounded, and dark brownish; eyes are large, with dark rufous brown irises. Tail is very minute and difficult to see or completely lacking. Uropatagium is highly reduced, attaching at base where tail would be and following leg up to ankles where it attaches to highly reduced calcar. Second digit of wing has claw, third and fifth metacarpals are subequal in size, and wing is dark with fur extending over upper arm dorsally and ventrally. Skull is long, with very long and narrow rostrum; braincase is strongly deflected downward. Jaw is thin and comparatively weak. Molars and premolars are largely reduced and flattened; large gap occurs between P' and next premolar (P°); C is long, thin, and strongly curved outward; and upper incisors are very reduced, project slightly forward, and are separated from one each other and canines by small gaps. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FN = 60 in Thailand.

Habitat. Various evergreen forests including primary and secondary montane and lowland forests, often found in dipterocarp forests, mangrove swamps, and plantations (commonly banana and cashew plantations) from sea level up to elevations of c. 2000 m.

Food and Feeding. Greater Long-tongued Blossom Bats are nectarivorous, feeding on a large variety of plants, and are considered primary pollinators of some of them. They forage by landing on a flower or hovering near it and lapping up nectar with their tongue. Their face is often covered with pollen from plants they have foraged on. Wild and cultivated bananas (Musa sp., Musaceae) seem to be preferred, but other cultivated and wild flowering trees are used. They have also been recorded around durian (Durio zibethinus, Malvaceae) and cashew (Anacardium occidentale, Anacardiaceae) plantations. It probably occasionally feeds on soft fruits.

Breeding. Pregnant Greater Long-tongued Blossom Bats have been captured in August and March-April in Vietnam, suggesting bimodal polyestry. Females have one young per pregnancy.

Activity patterns. The Greater Long-tongued Blossom Bat is nocturnal. It roosts under large leaves of various trees, including banana and palm leaves, and under roofs of houses.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Greater Long-tongued Blossom Bats roost alone, in mother-young pairs, or in small spaced-out groups of 5-10 individuals. Home ranges are probably small, and they probably move c. 1-2 km /night.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. There are no major threats currently facing the Greater Long-tongued Blossom Bat. It is relatively common throughoutits wide distribution, although it might be threatened locally by habitat loss through deforestation for agricultural expansion and bamboo extraction in South Asia.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Corbet & Hill (1992), Feng Qing et al. (2007), Francis (2008a), Francis et al. (2010), Hood et al. (1988), Hutson, Suyanto, Kingston, Bates et al. (2008), Itino et al. (1991), Kruskop (2013a), Matveev (2005), Smith & Xie Yan (2008), Thomas et al. (2013).