Nyctimene cyclotis K. Andersen 1910

100.

Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat

Nyctimene cyclotis

French: Nyctimene a oreilles rondes / German: RundohrRéhrennasenflughund / Spanish: Nyctimeno de orejas redondas

Other common names: Round-eared Tube-nosed Bat

Taxonomy. Nyctimene cyclotis K. Andersen, 1910,

“Arfak Mts. [Manokwari Division], N.W. New Guinea,” Indonesia.

Nyctimene cyclotis 1s currently in the cyclotis species group along with N. certans and N. wrightae. Nyctimene certans is sometimes considered a subspecies of N. cyclotis, but morphological studies have confirmed their specific status. Distribution is often recorded encompassing much of New Guinea, but this is now recognized as a distinct species, N. wrightae. Specimens collected in Mansuar and Waigeo islands have been recently attributed to N. cyclotis based on morphological grounds, but these island populations are currently under revision. They are tentatively included under N. cyclotis here until they are thoroughly investigated. Monotypic.

Distribution. NW New Guinea (Arfak Mts); also tentatively on Raja Ampat Is (Waigeo and Mansuar).

Descriptive notes. Ear 13-5-13- 7 mm, hindfoot 12-14- 6 mm, forearm 54- 2-56 mm. Rostrum of the Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is short, with long tubular divergent nostrils. Ears are rounded, with blunt tips, and thickened along tops; eyes are large, with dark reddish-brown irises. Dorsal pelage is grizzled grayish brown and browner on head, with almost indistinguishable ill-defined, short, thin dorsal stripe extending from mid-back to rump. Ventral pelage is paler dull cream. Wings and ears are dark brown; ears, tube nostrils, and wing digits have some yellow spotting. Second digit of wing is shorter in the Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat than in the Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (N. certans); second digit of wing has a claw, and wing attaches at second digit of foot. Tail is short, black, and wrinkled, and narrow uropatagium connects at base and stretches to calcar at ankles. Claws are black. Skull and mandible are robust, and rostrum is short. Single lower incisor is completely deciduous, falling out before adulthood; lower molars are broad and rounded in dorsal view; C, replaces incisors and is long and powerful; P,is elongated and longer than P and P,; they have narrow and rounded dental arcade; and it differs from the Mountain Tube-nosed Fruit Bat by having relatively longer upper post-canine tooth row.

Habitat. No specific information but probably montane tropical forests. All ecological accounts on the Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat are based on specimens that are now primarily attributed to the Happy Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (N. wrightae).

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Round-eared Tube-nosed Fruit Bat is currently known from two male specimens collected more than 100 years ago from the Arfak Mountains. Virtually nothing is known about its ecology and threats.

Bibliography. Donnellan et al. (1995), Helgen (2007a), Hutson, Suyanto, Helgen & Bonaccorso (2008a), Irwin (2017), Wiantoro (2011).