Part 11

Remarks.--Pteropus rayneri was named on the basis of two specimens (cotypes) obtained on Guadalcanal and listed as "male" and "female"; according to Andersen (1912:254), however, both are females.

P. r. rayneri is known from Guadalcanal and Malaita (see Fig. 6), and is of almost the same size as P. r. cognatus, which is known from San Cristobal and Ugi, only about 40 miles to the southeast. In the latter subspecies the back and rump are the same color (Prouts Brown), whereas in P. r. rayneri the rump is brightly colored and therefore contrasts strongly with the dark brown back. A specimen of rayneri from Malaita was reported by Sanborn (1931:15) as unusually small and having a dark-colored rump patch. In the specimens examined from Guadalcanal, there is noticeable variation in color of the mantle that does not seem related to age or sex. In two specimens (adult male and female) the mantle is Cinnamon-Rufous tinged with Russet, strongly contrasting with the crown, which is Ochraceous-Tawny and has scattered silvery hairs. Another specimen has a darker mantle (near Chestnut-Brown) and a crown of about the same color, but with a few scattered Ochraceous-Tawny hairs.

The skull of one adult male bears an extra peglike tooth posterior to M3 on the right side.

An embryo, in an advanced stage of development, in the collection of the U. S. National Museum, measures: Length of head and body, 98; hind foot, 30; ear, 8.5; length of forearm, 48 (this may be the same specimen listed by Sanborn and Nicholson, 1950:329).

=Pteropus rayneri grandis= Thomas

1887. Pteropus grandis Thomas, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, 19:147, March, type from Shortland; 1887, Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 320, March 15, from Alu and Shortland; 1897, Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium ..., 1:80, from "I. Salomonis"; 1899, Matschie, Die Megachiroptera ... naturkunde, p. 15; 1904, Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium ..., Suppl., p. 49; 1907, Miller, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 57:58, June 29; 1912, Andersen, Catalogue of the Chiroptera ... British Museum, 1:259, from Bougainville; 1931, Sanborn, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 18:16, February 12, from Choiseul, and Santa Ysabel; 1936, Troughton, Rec. Australian Mus., 19:348, April 7; 1953, Pohle, Z. Säugetierk., 17:128, October 27.

1954. Pteropus rayneri grandis, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 35, June 30.

Specimens examined (six males and 10 females; five in alcohol).--Choiseul in March, 23580, 23644, 23593; Bougainville in July, August, September, and October, USNM 276926-7, USNM 276968, USNM 277091-9.

Measurements.--Average and extreme measurements of four males and seven females are as follows: Length of head and body, 281 (260-302); hind foot, 52.3 (50-58); ear, 33.1 (31-37); length of forearm, 173 (168-180). Average and extreme measurements of skulls of three males and six females are as follows: Greatest length of skull, 73.7 (71.3-77.7); condylobasal length, 73.1 (70.5-77.4); zygomatic breadth, 40 (36.4-41.5); breadth across first-upper molars, 20.9 (18.3-22.1); length of maxillary tooth-row, 28.1 (26.9-29.9); length of mandibular tooth-row, 31.8 (29.7-32.7).

Remarks.--Pteropus rayneri grandis is the largest subspecies of the species. It is also the widest ranging subspecies, being found on six islands (see Fig. 6).

Although the specimens listed above agree well with descriptions of color given by Thomas (1887a:147) and Andersen (1912:259, 263-264), some individual variation is noticeable. In bats not yet fully grown (judging from small size, unfused epiphyses, and lack of wear on teeth), numerous scattered hairs on the sides of the face and crown are buffy. In adults the face and crown are blackish. With regard to individual variation in color of mantle and rump patch, specimens with the following combinations were noted (1) mantle Brick Red, rump patch bright, basal three-quarters of hairs white, tips Warm Buff (2) mantle darker, near Hessian Brown, rump patch dark, Chestnut along edges, center Ochraceous-Tawny (3) mantle Brick Red, rump patch intermediate between the two other types. Size of rump patch also is variable. In some specimens it extends onto the upper parts of the thighs whereas in other specimens it does not.

Sanborn (1931:16) reported an extra tooth, behind the last lower molar, in a specimen from Choiseul. In one of three specimens in the Bishop Museum, m3 is lacking. Judging from Troughton's (1936:346) remarks, size of individuals varies considerably. Specimens that he examined from Bougainville had longer forearms (up to 177) and larger hind feet (54-57) than those examined by me from Choiseul. On the other hand, specimens listed above from Bougainville agree well with those from Choiseul. In many specimens in the U. S. National Museum, length of the right- and left-forearm differ. For example, in No. 276926 the right forearm measures 180 whereas the left is 174; in No. 277098 the right is 172 and the left is 167. Troughton (1936:346) gave standard ear measurement in P. r. grandis as ranging from 29.5 to 31.5. Ears of specimens that I examined varied from 31.0 to 37.0.

=Pteropus rayneri rubianus= Andersen

1908. Pteropus rubianus Andersen, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 2:366, October, type from Rubiana; 1912, Andersen, Catalogue of the Chiroptera ... British Museum, 1:255; 1931, Sanborn, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 18:15, February 12, from Narovo (Simbo).

1954. Pteropus rayneri rubianus, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 35, June 30.

1888. Pteropus grandis (part), Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 470, December 4, from Rubiana; 1899, Matschie, Die Megachiroptera ... naturkunde, p. 15; 1904, Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium ..., Suppl., p. 49.

Specimens examined (two males and one female).--Kolombangara, in February, 23458-60.

Measurements.--Measurements of two males and one female are, respectively, as follows: Length of head and body, 253, 265, 251; hind foot, 53, 50, 50; ear, 30, 31, 32; length of forearm, 158, 161, 160; greatest length of skull, 70.2, 67.4, --; condylobasal length, 67.0, --, 68.4; zygomatic breadth, 40.0, 39.4, 40.7; breadth across first upper molars, 19.4, 20.4, 19.9; length of mandible, 53.9, 49.4, 51.3.

Remarks.--Kolombangara Island is a new locality for Pteropus rayneri rubianus; heretofore this subspecies was known only from Rubiana and Narovo islands (Andersen, 1908:366; Sanborn, 1931:15). The coloration of a specimen from Narovo Island was described as between that of P. r. rubianus and P. r. lavellanus. Sanborn (1931:16) allocated it to the subspecies rubianus on the basis of length of forearm.

Andersen's descriptions (1908:366; 1912:256) of rubianus were of a specimen stored in alcohol. Coloration of the museum skins examined by me is as follows: Dorsum from shoulders to rump near Vandyke Brown; crown and mantle Brick Red; face close to Mummy Brown; rump patch and thighs close to Warm Buff, strongly contrasting with back and mantle; base of hairs dark, Seal Brown; venter dark; chest about same as back but paler laterally (to Ochraceous Tawny); throat Brick Red.

=Pteropus rayneri lavellanus= Andersen

1908. Pteropus lavellanus Andersen, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 2:366, October, type from Vella Lavella; 1912, Andersen, Catalogue of the Chiroptera ... British Museum, 1:259; 1931, Sanborn, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 18:16, February 12, from Ghizo and Ronongo.

1954. Pteropus rayneri lavellanus, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 36, June 30.

Specimens examined (one male and one female).--Vella Lavella in November, 23192, 23142.

Measurements.--Measurements of a male and a female are, respectively, as follows: Length of head and body, 286, 282; hind foot, 55, 56; ear, 30, 30; length of forearm, 156, 155; greatest length of skull, 72.9, 67.6; condylobasal length, 71.8, 64.2; zygomatic breadth, 38.4, 37.9; breadth across first upper molars, 19.9, 19.8; length of mandible, 54.6, 50.8.

Remarks.--Pteropus rayneri lavellanus inhabits islands geographically near those from which P. r. rubianus is known (see Fig. 6) and in most respects the two subspecies closely resemble each other. P. r. lavellanus is slightly the smaller (average length of forearm about 156 instead of 160) and darker. A bat from Narovo [Simbo] Island, only a few miles from Vella Lavella, identified by Sanborn (1931:16) on basis of its size as P. r. rubianus, resembled the subspecies lavellanus in color and probably represents an intergrade between the two populations.

The color of P. r. lavellanus is close to that of P. r. rubianus except that the crown, mantle, and foreneck are near Chestnut-Brown, the basal portions of hair black, and the fur of the venter, from sternum to pectoral region, is dark, almost black (compare with description of P. r. rubianus under account of that subspecies).

Measurements of the male examined are greater than those of the female studied. Andersen (1912:259) noted that the canine teeth are heavier in males than in females.