[spayrow]

By KATHERINE ADRANEDA

The Philippine Star

A new species of flying fox, or large fruit bat, believed found nowhere else in the world, was discovered in Mindoro, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced Sunday.

PAWB director Dr. Mundita Lim said the new fruit bat species has been discovered in Mindoro Island since February 2006, during a collaborative effort between the government and the University of Kansas Biodiversity Research Center.

Lim said a team from the Comparative Biogeography and Conservation of Philippine Vertebrates (CBCPV) project conducted an expedition in Mindoro Occidental early last year that led to the discovery of the new fruit bat species, which has been named as the “Mindoro Stripe-Faced Fruitbat” for its striking facial features and the island on which it was found.

“A local resident of Sablayan first described the flying fox in great detail to us, but we were unconvinced until the species showed up in our nets,” said CBCPV mammologist Jake Esselstyn.

According to Lim, the CBCPV team was conducting a survey of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians in Sablayan, when it found the unusual bat.

The scientific description of the new species, Styloctenium mindorensis, was published last week in the Journal of Mammalogy.

Lim said the discovery of the new fruit bat species brings the total number of bat species in the Philippines to 74. Of the 74, she noted, 26 bat species are now found only in the Philippines.

“The bat is very colorful; most of its hair is orange and it sports three white stripes on its face as well as a black beard, which distinguishes it from all other known fruit bats,” she said.

“This discovery is illustrative of how little we know about Philippine biodiversity and the need for continued research all over the country,” she added.

The new flying fox is known to be only from Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro but the CBCPV team is hopeful that the bat will be found in other areas of the province.

Another bat species from Mindoro is under study by CBCPV team members and is thought to be new to science as well, Lim revealed.

The new species joins other mammal species like the Tamaraw, which is known to be endemic (or restricted) to Mindoro.

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Philippines Finds New Breed of Flying Fox

PHILIPPINES: September 17, 2007


MANILA - A colourful new breed of flying fox with orange fur and three white stripes on its face has been discovered on the Philippine island of Mindoro, the government said on Sunday.


Flying foxes are a type of fruit bat. They are named flying foxes because of their fox-like heads and reddish fur.

The tropical archipelago in Southeast Asia is a treasure trove for flora and fauna. Last year, a brightly-plumed parrot and a long-tailed forest mouse were discovered in the vanishing rainforest of a southern volcanic island.

A team from the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the University of Kansas confirmed the flying fox discovery during an expedition to Mindoro, south of Manila, last year.

"A local resident of Sablayan (town) first described the flying fox in great detail to us, but we were unconvinced until the species showed up in our nets," said zoologist Jake Esselstyn.

The flying fox, which researchers believe could be unique to the Philippines, has been named the Mindoro Fruitbat.

The scientific description of the new flying fox was published in the Journal of Mammalogy.

"This discovery is illustrative of how little we know about Philippine biodiversity and the need for continued research all over the country," said Mundita Lim, chief of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the DENR.

here's the link

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsst...4350/story.htm

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