Aru Flying Fox

conservation

Conservation: CITES – Appendix II. IUCN / SSC Action Plan (1992) – No Data: Limited Distribution as Pteropus melanopogon aruensis. IUCN 2003 – Not listed. This species has not been collected since the nineteenth century, and probably should be listed as Critically Endangered (K. Helgen, pers. comm.).

Order Chiroptera - Family Pteropodidae

discussion

Discussion: melanopogon species group. Often listed as a subspecies of melanopogon following Laurie and Hill (1954), but see Bergmans (2001), who argued that aruensis should be considered distinct pending additional review of this complex.

Order Chiroptera - Family Pteropodidae

activity

Activity patterns. The Aru Flying Fox roosts in forests with low levels of disturbance. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Aru Flying Fox is presumably gregarious and roosts colonially.

Pteropodidae

conservation

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) on The IUCN Red List. The Aru Flying Fox has not been recorded in recent surveys despite being rather large and conspicuously colored. It might have been a target of hunters because there is low food security in this area. There is an unconfirmed record of a bone from an Aru Flying Fox in 1992. More recent interest for converting 92 % of primary forest on Aru into plantations would lead to devastating losses of needed habitat.

Pteropodidae