The small Mauritian flying fox, or dark flying fox (Pteropus subniger), known as a rougette to early French travellers, is an extinct species of megabat that lived on Reunion and Mauritius in the Mascarene Islands of the Indian Ocean. Its junior synonym Pteropus rubricollis was widely used for flying foxes in general in the 19th century, which has caused some confusion. It was abundant, with up to 400 sometimes crowding together at one roost in a cave or an ancient hollow tree, while most other fruit bats prefer the branches of large trees. Local people believed there was only one male per roost, which may indicate that the sexes roosted separately and that the large roosts were maternity colonies.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsBiological Resource Use 2 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Activity Pattern Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Small Mauritian flying fox (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Small Mauritian flying fox (Wikipedia)Article text, distributionQuote, Article text, distribution
It lived on the islands of R
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Small Mauritian flying fox (Wikipedia)Article text, distributionQuote, Article text, distribution
It lived on the islands of R
Sources
1. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014): EltonTraits 1.0 mammal foraging attributes (MamFuncDat)
EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)MamFuncDat.txt, row Pteropus subniger (Diet-Fruit, Diet-Nect, Diet-Inv, Diet-PlantO columns)
3755 Pteropus subniger Pteropodidae 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 Ref_1 ABC Ar A 1 0 0 Ref_1 ABC 361.25 "Ref_2, Ref_3" 0
MamFuncDat.txt, row Pteropus subniger (Activity-Nocturnal, Activity-Crepuscular, Activity-Diurnal columns)
3755 Pteropus subniger Pteropodidae 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 Ref_1 ABC Ar A 1 0 0 Ref_1 ABC 361.25 "Ref_2, Ref_3" 0
View the Source 2. Small Mauritian flying fox (Wikipedia)
Relationship to people, hunting
They are hunted for their meat, for their fat, for young individuals, throughout all the summer, all the autumn and part of the winter, by whites with a gun, by negros with nets.
Article text, behaviour
This flying fox was nocturnal and had delicate teeth, so it probably fed on nectar and possibly soft fruit.
Article text, threats
They are hunted for their meat, for their fat, for young individuals, throughout all the summer, all the autumn and part of the winter, by whites with a gun, by negros with nets.
Article text, habitat
It was abundant, with up to 400 sometimes crowding together at a single roost in a cave or in an ancient, hollow tree, while most other fruit bats prefer to roost in the branches of large trees.
Child Taxon Of: Pteropodidae, Lead
The small Mauritian flying fox or dark flying fox (Pteropus subniger), known as a rougette to early French travelers, is an extinct species of megabat.
In Group: Bats (Chiroptera), Lead
The small Mauritian flying fox or dark flying fox (Pteropus subniger), known as a rougette to early French travelers, is an extinct species of megabat.
View the Source3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF): GBIF species 5218682: species profile of Pteropus subniger
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)speciesProfilesQuote, speciesProfiles
"extinct": true
4. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF): GBIF species 5218682: IUCN Red List category of Pteropus subniger
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)iucnRedListCategoryQuote, iucnRedListCategory
"category": "EXTINCT"
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