Part 12

=Pteropus rayneri monoensis= Lawrence

1945. Pteropus rayneri monoensis Lawrence, Proc. New England Zool. Club, 23:63, March 26, type from Mono (Treasury); 1954, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 36, June 30.

Specimens examined.--None.

Remarks.--Pteropus rayneri monoensis is the most recently described subspecies of P. rayneri. Lawrence (1945:63) judged that in most ways this bat is intermediate between P. r. grandis and P. r. lavellanus. Coloration of monoensis indicates affinity with the former, whereas length of forearm (145-148) approaches that in the latter. The small skull, narrow palate, and whitish rump patch of monoensis are differences that distinguish it from grandis and lavellanus. The relatively isolated position of Mono Island may have been important in establishment of the distinctive features of this bat.

Lawrence (1945:65) quoted a collector as stating: "They [individuals of P. r. monoensis] rest quietly during the day in the tops of heavy-leaved, tall jungle trees, and start flying about dusk, looking for feeding spots. There is usually quite a flight for fifteen to twenty minutes at twilight...."

No additional specimens of this subspecies have been collected on small adjacent islands and monoensis may therefore be confined to Mono Island.

=Pteropus rayneri cognatus= Andersen

1908. Pteropus cognatus Andersen, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 2:365, October 1, type from San Cristobal; 1912, Andersen, Catalogue of the Chiroptera ... British Museum, 1:251; 1931, Sanborn, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 18:15, February 12, from San Cristobal and Ugi; 1954, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 35, June 30.

1962. Pteropus rayneri cognatus, Hill, The natural history of Rennell Island, British Solomon Islands, 4:9, February.

1870. Pteropus rayneri (part), Gray, Catalogue of monkeys, lemurs and fruit-eating bats ... British Museum, p. 108, from San Cristobal; 1878, Dobson, Catalogue of the Chiroptera ... British Museum, p. 33.

1904. Pteropus (Spectrum) rayneri (part), Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium ..., Suppl., p. 51.

Specimens examined.--None.

Remarks.--Specimens of Pteropus rayneri cognatus first were reported under the name Pteropus rayneri based on three specimens (one from San Cristobal and two from Guadalcanal). Because the description was based mostly on the two specimens from Guadalcanal, the name rayneri is applicable to the bats from that island. Andersen (1908:365) thought that specimens that he studied, from San Cristobal, were specifically distinct from P. rayneri and he proposed the name Pteropus cognatus for them. Later, Hill (1962:9) reduced cognatus to subspecific status under P. rayneri.

Presently P. r. cognatus is known only from San Cristobal and the small adjacent island of Ugi (see Fig. 6).

=Pteropus rayneri rennelli= Troughton

1929. Pteropus rennelli Troughton, Rec. Australian Mus., 17:193, September 4, type from Rennell Island; 1954, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 35, June 30.

1962. Pteropus rayneri rennelli, Hill, The natural history of Rennell Island, British Solomon Islands, 4:7, February.

Specimens examined.--None.

Remarks.--Until recently, Pteropus rayneri rennelli was known from but a single specimen. Hill (1962:7) reported two additional specimens and pointed out that P. r. cognatus and P. r. rennelli probably represent the extremes of an east-west cline in size. P. r. rennelli and P. r. cognatus differ from other subspecies of the species in lacking tricolored pelage on the dorsum, but their short rostrum clearly indicates affinity with other members of this complex group in the Solomon Islands (Hill, 1962:8).

The relationship of the subspecies rennelli and cognatus is close, both geographically and genetically. Longer forearm, longer metacarpals, and longer mandibular tooth-row serve to differentiate rennelli from cognatus.

=Pteropus woodfordi= Thomas

1888. Pteropus woodfordi Thomas, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, 1:156, February, type from Guadalcanal; 1888, Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 472, December 4; 1898, Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium ..., 1:78; 1907, Elliot, Field Columbian Mus., Zool. Ser., 8:491; 1912, Andersen, Catalogue of the Chiroptera ... British Museum, 1:410, from New Georgia and Guadalcanal; 1931, Sanborn, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 18:19, February 12, from Kolombangara; 1947, Sanborn and Beecher, Jour. Mamm., 28:389, November 19, from Banika and Guadalcanal; 1954, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 39, June 30.

1899. Pteropus (Sericonycteris) woodfordi, Matschie, Die Megachiroptera ... naturkunde, p. 83; 1904, Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium ..., Suppl., p. 54.

1945. Pteropus austini Lawrence, Proc. New England Zool. Club, 23:59, March 26, from Florida.

Specimens examined (four males and three females; five in alcohol and two skin-onlys).--Fauro, in April, 23727, 23790; Guadalcanal in May and June, 23823, 23931; Pavuvo (Russell Islands) in August and October, USNM 277887, USNM 283872-3.

Measurements.--External measurements of two males and two females are, respectively, as follows: Length of head and body, 152, 128, 132, 155; hind foot, 29, 26, 31, 28; ear, 16, 14, 14, 17; length of forearm, 79, 76, 86, 90.

Remarks.--Heretofore, Pteropus woodfordi was known from New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Kolombangara, and Banika (see Fig. 7); specimens from Fauro and Pavuvo islands, listed above, provide new northern localities of record for this species.

Judging by small size and unfused epiphyses, a bat obtained in April and another obtained in June are subadults. Specimens of adults, examined by me, agree well with the descriptions of P. woodfordi by Thomas (1888a:156) and Andersen (1912:407-409), but are slightly smaller than specimens listed by Sanborn and Beecher (1947:389). Color of pelage in this species seems to vary. Adults seen have a pale head and mantle, contrasting strongly with the dark back. Andersen (1912:409) and Lawrence (1945:61) discussed individuals that had scattered silvery hairs mixed with dark fur dorsally and darker mantles that did not contrast noticeably with the rest of the dorsum.