Kielihekko

Population studies through banding specimens of the long-tongued fruit bat and later recapturing them results in only about a 40 to 50 percent recapture rate. These experiments, conducted in the Philippines, do not show whether this pattern is due to a low survivorship rate in adults or a migration to another location (Michleburgh et al., 1991).

Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical

The long-tongued fruit bat is not threatened due to its widespread distribution and the large number of individuals that exist in the wild. Also, this species can exist in a variety of habitats. However, there must be at least "small area(s) that has been planted with trees that produce nectar or pollen on which it can feed," (Michleburgh et al., 1992).

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Macroglossus minimus "is considered to be a highly efficient vector in pollen transfer for a large number of tree species," (Gunnell et al., 1996). This pollen transfer occurs during normal feeding habits and is responsible for the fertilization of a large number of trees in human-operated banana plantations. Without the long-tongued fruit bat, these trees would not be able to become fertilized naturally and produce as much fruit as they do. This could result in the unemployment of some of the harvest workers of these plantations.

Long-tongued fruit bats are appropriately named due to their long tongue for extracting nectar and pollen from flowers. Macroglossus minimus feeds primarily on nectar and pollen, but occasionally also drinks the juices of soft fruit (Nowak, 1991) The flowers it mainly feeds on are from plants of the banana tree (Musaceae), the coconut tree (Cocos nicifera), and mangroves (Sonneratiaceae) (Gunnell et al., 1996).

The long-tongued fruit bat feeds by first landing on a flower (or a nearby flower) and then using its long tongue to extract nectar or pollen from the flower (Michleburgh et al., 1992).

Long-tongued fruit bats, like many other pteropodids, have large eyes, and they orient visually. They do not use echolocation to locate their food source as do families in the suborder Microchiroptera.

Macroglossus minimus is distributed throughout the countries of the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, New Guinea, The Solomon Islands, and northern Australia (Gunnell et al., 1996).

Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native ); australian (Native )

The long-tongued fruit bat is found from urban coastal areas to denser forested areas. It is located in elevations from sea-level up to 1500 M (Michleburgh et al., 1992).

Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest

Macroglossus minimus, also known by the common name the long-tongued fruit bat, is amongst the smallest of the family Pteropodidae (Gunnell et al., 1996) The body length including the head is approximately 60 - 85 mm long (Nowak, 1991). The tail is extremely short, reaching to only about 4 mm at the longest length, and the uropatagium is almost non-existent. The ears are about half of the head length -- approximately 6 mm; Also, the ear does not have a tragus as do many families in the order Chiroptera (Dobson, 1876)

The fur of the long-tongued fruit bat is reddish-brown on the back and is very long compared to other species in Pteropodidae. The fur on the abdomen is shorter than on the back and is paler in color. A dark stripe of brown fur runs bilaterally down the top of the head to the neck. The rostrum is long and narrow and the eyes are large compared to bats in the suborder Microchiroptera (Nowak, 1991).

Sexual dimorphism does not occur in this species as it does in other genera of the same family where males possess a growth of hair tufts below each jaw on each side of the neck and females lack the hair tufts. In macroglossus minimus, both genders lack the hair tufts (Nowak, pg. 83).

Range mass: 16 to 20 g.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Breeding in long-tongued fruit bats occurs about twice a year with a gestation period of about 115 to 125 days. Reproductive maturity in females is achieved at about 10 months after birth (Gunnell et al., 1996). Fertility after birth is restored shortly after weaning and most females are impregnated again at this time. Lactation lasts for about 60 to 70 days, and approximately 70 to 90 days after lactation ends the females become fertile again (Michleburgh et al., 1992).

Females seem to have no particular breeding season during the year. "Females of Macroglossus minimus [were found pregnant] ... in every month of the year" during random collections of the species in the areas of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (Nowak 1991).

Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual