A taxonomic review of the genus Pteralopex (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), the monkey-faced bats of the south-western Pacific.

Abstract

Morphological variation in the genus Pteralopex is reviewed to evaluate species limits and diagnostic criteria. Five species are recognised: P. atrata and P. pulchra from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; P. anceps from Bougainville and Buka Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Choiseul and Isabel Islands, Solomon Islands; and P. acrodonta from Taveuni, Fiji. A new species is described from New Georgia and Vangunu Islands, Solomon Islands. It resembles P. pulchra but differs in dental, cranial and pelage characters. A number of criteria previously considered diagnostic for P. anceps are shown to be invalid. The new species faces a high extinction risk from logging operations and pressure from expanding human populations, and an IUCN threat category of ‘Critically Endangered’ is proposed. All Pteralopex species face a high risk of extinction and conservation measures such as habitat protection are urgently required.