Spotted-winged fruit bat

Balionycteris maculata (Thomas, 1893). Spotted-winged fruit bat.

Distribution.- This species was caught at 12 locations, nine in Borneo and three in Asia mainland.  Collection sites including Kota Samarahan, Kubah National Park, Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary, Gunong Gading National Park, Lambir National Park, Tawau Hills National Park and Padawan in Borneo; Belum, Sungai Dusun and Taman Negara in Peninsular Malaysia.  Its range includes Southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Riau archipelago and throughout the north and west of Borneo (Payne et al. 1985).

Biology and ecology.- According to Medway (1978), the species is widespread and commonly found in all forest types in Peninsula Malaysia. It roosts in small groups in crowns of palms, ferns and in caves. Specimens were caught in the understory and canopy of dipterocarp forest, mangrove swamp, forest edge, disturbed habitat as well as regenerated forest. Out of 55 individuals, about 31% of the total capture were males,  65% females and 4% unsexed.  About 84% were adults and the remaining were attached juveniles, fledging immatures or subadults.  A lactating female (B0613) was netted caught above an intermitten stream with relatively open undergrowth at 2045 hours on 25 October 1996 was recaptured at dawn the following day near a large gap on a forest trail  100 m away. 

Only two pregnancies were observed  in September 1994 at Kota Samarahan and in July 1996 at Poring, Kinabalu Park. In September 1994, four females netted in regenerating forest at Kota Samarahan were lactating and one was carrying an attached juvenile (FA 17 mm and WT 5.1 g). Between April  and October 1996 females were lactating and males had enlarged testies in August and October at Kubah National Park. In April, a female had a suckling juvenile (forearm 24.3 mm) and another female was lactating at Kubah National Park. A lactating female with an attached juvenile (FA 26.2 mm) was caught in June at Gunong Gading National Park. Pregnant females were netted in July and August in Poring and Kubah.

In May 1997, a female from Taman Negara was in an early stage of pregnancy and a male had enlarged testes at Sungai Dusun. A female netted in March 1997 at Belum was in postlactation state. In the Cameron highlands, Peninsular Malaysia, pregnant females were found in February and April (Medway 1978).  A lactating female was caught in February at Ulu Temburong in Brunei (Payne and Sahat 1987).

External measurements.- 40 samples;  FA = 41.37±1.47, TL = none, EL = 9.90±1.06, HD = 23.72±0.57(10), TB = 14.18±1.11, WT = 13.74±4.84, HB = 59.43±3.14(10), WS = 272.40±13.74(5), HF = 7.58±0.54, D5 = 56.35±2.18(14).