Harpyionycteris whiteheadi Thomas 1896

80.

Philippine Harpy Fruit Bat

Harpyionycteris whiteheadi

French: Harpyionyctére des Philippines / German: Philippinen-Harpyien-Flughund / Spanish: Harpyionicterio de las Filipinas

Other common names: Harpy Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Harpyionycternis whiteheadi Thomas, 1896,

“Mindoro [Island], Philippines, alt. 5000 feet [= 1524 m].”

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

H.w.whiteheadiThomas,1896—Philip-pinesinSLuzon,EVisayas,andMindanaoIsgroups;butnotdefinitiverecordsinCat-anduanes,Marinduque,Bohol,Sibuyan,andTablasIs.Thelattertwoislandsmayholdpopulationsofthesubspeciesnegrosensis.

H. w. negrosensis Peterson & Fenton, 1970 — WVisayas (Panay, Negros, and Cebu Is).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 130-159 mm (tailless), ear 20-25 mm, hindfoot 21- 25 mm, forearm 84-91 mm; weight 99-140 g. Head is round with strong, conical muzzle; nostrils are shortly tubular; philtrum has two separate deep grooves and one median groove; and lowerlip has large triangular papillae. Eyes are moderately large, somewhat oblique; irises are warm brown. Ears are long, oval, and pale brown, with broadly rounded off tips, narrower in negrosensis. Head pelage is short and chocolatebrown, and head midline is often obvious. Nape and dorsum pelage is long, dense, and uniformly rich buffy brown, as is rest of body including chest, belly, and flanks. Dense fur extends over much of forearm and along hindleg to dorsum of foot. Tibia is relatively very short, calcar is very small, uropatagium is reduced to narrow strip, and foot claws have whitish tips. Wing membranes are broad, from sides of body, blackish brown, speckled with small white spots, and inserted on second toes; index claw is present. Skull has conical rostrum, premaxillae are fused and project forward, with nasal process very thin; orbit is large, with obvious rim; zygomatic root is just above upper alveolar line; zygoma is moderately strong and arched; and braincase is rounded. Dorsally, premaxillae project farther anteriorly than tip of nasals; rostrum 1s long and relatively narrow; nasals are very narrow; paranasal recesses are moderately inflated, reaching tiny postorbital foramen; postorbital process is long and posterolaterally directed; postorbital constriction is well-marked; braincase is oval; and sagittal and nuchal crests are obvious and low. Ventrally, palate is long, flat, and narrow; tooth rows are nearly parallel; post-dental palate is relatively short, ending concavely; and ectotympanic is small and narrow, with anterior extension and spine. Mandible has slanted symphysis; body is somewhat arched; coronoid slopes, with rounded tip; condyle is level with lower alveolar line; and angle is large, round, and ample. There are nine arched interdental palatal ridges, with last two divided medially, plus two post-dental ridges, one in middle and one at end of post-dental palate. Dentition is strong, profusely cuspidate, and strongly procumbent, with upper incisors (likely I*, I' missing) very large, hook-like, with ample base, forwardly converging tip, and deeply concave outer margin; C' projects anteriorly at nearly 45°, is large with convex anterior surface, concave internal surface with middle ridge, strong secondary basal distal cusp, and obvious inner cingulum; P' is small, but crown has distinct central and secondary distal cusps; next premolar (P°) is blade- or canine-like, decurved with basal distal cusp obsolete, and sharp lingual cingulum that is denticulate on its mesial side; next premolars and molars have subdivided labial and lingual main ridges, with additional cusps; more frequently, there are three larger cusps on each ridge with additional smaller cusps, but pattern is exceedingly variable; M? is small but cuspidate; and cheekteeth size is moderate, with oval occlusal outline. Lower incisor (likely I, I, missing) is very small, bifid, and generally missing in adults; C, projects anteriorly (but less than C'), almost straight, with cusp coming out high on mesial side, larger basal distal cusp, and sharp cingulum connecting along labial side of canine; P| is relatively very large, with three-cusp pattern similar to C; posterior cheekteeth have subdivided labial and lingual main ridges, with 3—4 cusps each and strong distal ledge; last molar is equally cuspidate; cheekteeth are rather narrow, with anterior tear-shaped to posterior oval occlusal outline. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 36 and FN = 58, with six pairs of medium to large metacentric to submetacentric, six pairs of medium-sized subtelocentric, and five pairs of medium-sized acrocentric autosomes. X-chromosome is mediumsized subtelocentric, and Y-chromosome small acrocentric.

Habitat. Primary or lightly disturbed rainforests from sea level up to elevations of c. 1900 m. The Philippine Harpy Fruit Bat is more abundant in montane rainforests and less common in lowland rainforests and mossy forest.

Food and Feeding. In Panay, diet of the Philippine Harpy Fruit Bat contained at least twelve plant genera in ten families. It probably forages in forest canopies.

Breeding. Philippine Harpy Fruit Bats are seasonally polyestrous. Females give birth for the first time at c.1 year old, and then twice a year in synchronous birth periods:January— February and July-August. Gestation lasts 4-5 months, and lactation lasts 3-4 months, indicating postpartum estrus or at least mating during lactation in both birth seasons.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. A small roosting colony was found in an understory tree in a forest interior. The Philippine Harpy Fruit Bat produces high-pitched, shrieking whistles when they fly, presumably to keep contact among individuals. On Negros Island, density was estimated at 0-7 ind/ha.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Philippine Harpy Fruit Batis locally affected by logging, but populations are presumably stable in montane rainforests that are little disturbed.

Bibliography. Aimeida et al. (2011), Amador et al. (2018), Andersen (1912b), Giannini & Simmons (2007a), Giannini, Almeida & Simmons (2009), Giannini, Almeida, Simmons & DeSalle (2006), Heaney, Balete et al. (1998), Heaney, Tabaranza et al. (2006), Heideman (1987), Heideman & Heaney (1989), Ong, Rosell-Ambal, Tabaranza, Heaney, Gonzalez et al. (2008), Paguntalan & Jakosalem (2008), Peterson & Fenton (1970), Rickart Rickart, Heaney & Rosenfeld (1989), Tate (1951).