Ashy-headed flying fox
Species of bat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The ashy-headed flying fox or North Moluccan flying fox (Pteropus caniceps) is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Indonesia.
| Ashy-headed flying fox | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Pteropodidae |
| Genus: | Pteropus |
| Species: | P. caniceps |
| Binomial name | |
| Pteropus caniceps Gray, 1870 | |
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| Ashy-headed flying fox range | |
Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 1870 by British zoologist John Edward Gray. The holotype had been collected on the Bacan Islands by Alfred Russel Wallace.[2] Its species name "caniceps" means "gray-headed" from Latin canus (gray) and -ceps (headed). This species has two subspecies:
- P. c. caniceps
- P. c. dobsoni[3] (named for zoologist George Edward Dobson)
Description
Its forearm is 139–141 mm (5.5–5.6 in) long.[4]
Range and habitat
Conservation
As of 2016, it is assessed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this assessment because its population decline has been at least 30% from 1992–2016. Additionally, it is experiencing habitat fragmentation, and it is losing habitat due to logging and mining activities.[1]