Myonycteris brachycephala
| Kingdom |
Phylum |
Class |
Order |
Family |
| ANIMALIA |
CHORDATA |
MAMMALIA |
CHIROPTERA |
PTEROPODIDAE |
| Scientific Name: |
Myonycteris brachycephala |
| Species Authority: |
(Bocage, 1889) |
Common Name/s:
| English |
– |
Sao Tomé Collared Fruit Bat |
|
Assessment Information
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| Red List Category & Criteria: |
Endangered
B1ab(iii)
ver 3.1
|
| Year Published: |
2008 |
| Assessor/s: |
Juste, J., Hutson, A.M. & Bergmans, W. |
| Reviewer/s: |
Hutson, A.M., Racey, P.A. (Chiroptera Red List Authority) & Cox, N. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) |
Justification:
Listed as Endangered because its extent of occurrence is less than 1,000 km², all individuals are in a single location (the uplands of Sao Tomé), and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat.
|
| History: |
| 2004 |
– |
Endangered
|
| 2000 |
– |
Endangered
|
| 1996 |
– |
Vulnerable
|
| 1994 |
– |
Vulnerable
(Groombridge 1994)
|
|
Geographic Range
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| Range Description: |
This species is endemic to the island of the uplands of São Tomé Island of São Tomé and Príncipe. It is absent from the northern part of the island. It has only been recorded from three localities, and no colonies have been reported. Animals have been recorded between 300 and 1,200 m asl.
|
| Countries: |
Native:
Sao Tomé and Principe (Sâo Tomé)
|
| Range Map: |
Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
|
Population
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| Population: |
It appears to be a naturally rare species.
|
| Population Trend: |
Decreasing
|
Habitat and Ecology
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| Habitat and Ecology: |
This species has been recorded from montane and steep rocky, and steep sided areas. Animals have been reported from montane tropical moist forest (at 1,300 m asl), tropical lowland forest (Feiler [1984] recorded a specimen from natural forest at 800 m asl), from an area with remnants of original vegetation (just north of Pico de São Tomé) (Sayer et al. 1992), and from cocoa plantations. The species appears to prefer the forested mountain zones but may be found to live in plantation areas and avoids the coastal zone and the northern dry part of the island. (Bergmans 1997).
|
| Systems: |
Terrestrial |
| Major Threat(s): |
Within the species relatively limited range it is threatened by ongoing habitat loss, presumably related to logging activities and the conversion of land to agricultural use.
|
Conservation Actions
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| Conservation Actions: |
There appear to be no direct conservation measures in place. It is not known if the species is present in any protected areas. There is a need to protect suitable areas of remaining natural habitat for this species, with additional research required into the persistence of populations in modified habitats (such as cocoa plantations). Further surveys are needed to identify additional localities for this species, and to better understand its natural history.
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