Thai National Parks

Species of Thailand

Long-tongued fruit bat

Macroglossus sobrinus

Knud Christian Andersen, 1911

The long-tongued fruit bat (Macroglossus sobrinus) is a species of megabat. It is nectarivorous, feeding on nectar from primarily banana flowers. It is found in several countries in South and Southeast Asia.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new subspecies in 1911 by Danish mammalogist Knud Andersen.

Andersen described it as a subspecies of the long-tongued nectar bat, with the trinomen Macroglossus minimus sobrinus.

Beginning in approximately 1983, it has been considered a full species rather than a subspecies.

Its species name "" means "cousin;" Andersen possibly chose this name to reflect what he believed was its close relationship to M. minimus minimus.

Description

Andersen noted that it differed from the long-tongued nectar bat in several ways.

Overall, it is a larger species with a longer snout.

Its forearm is 42-48.5 mm long.

Individuals weigh 18-26 g.

Biology and ecology

It is nectarivorous, feeding on the nectar of flowers.

It consumes nectar almost exclusively from banana flowers.

It is nocturnal, foraging at night and roosting during the day in trees.

When roosting during the day, it roosts singly or in small, "well-spaced parties."

Range and habitat

Unlike the long-tongued nectar bat, which is considered a coastal species, the long-tongued fruit bat is considered an inland species.

Its range includes several countries in Asia, including Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Conservation

It is currently assessed as least concern by the IUCN—its lowest conservation priority.

It meets the criteria for this classification because it has a large geographic range; its range includes protected areas; it tolerates some human-mediated landscape changes, and its population is thought to be stable.

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Scientific classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Subphylum
Vertebrata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Chiroptera
Family
Macroglossinae
Genus
Macroglossus
Species
Macroglossus sobrinus

Common names

  • English:
    • Greater long-nosed fruit bat
    • Greater long-tongued fruit bat
    • Greater bectar bat
    • Hill long-tongued fruit bat

Synonyms

  • Macroglossus fraternus, Frederick Nutter Chasen & Cecil Boden Kloss (1928)
  • Macroglossus minimus, Knud Christian Andersen (1911)

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Photos

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Long-tongued fruit bat

Range Map

Distribution map of Long-tongued fruit bat, Macroglossus sobrinus in Thailand
  • Khao Sok National Park
Range map of Macroglossus sobrinus in Thailand