Gray, 1821
Old World Fruit bats
These are an ancient and diverse group of bats, with over 170 species, distributed throughout the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Indo-Australia (Hill and Smith, 1984). The diet is primarily composed of fruits, flowers and flower products, such as nectar. The eyes are comparatively large and the sense of smell is often well developed. Most species do not have a system of echolocation, although Rousettus uses a method based on the clicking of its tongue. The ears are simple in form, the sides of each pinna forming a complete ring at the base; there is no tragus (Fig. 7). The muzzle and jaws are strongly built. The tail is usually either very short or absent. Each humerus has the trochiter and trochin small; the former never articulates with the scapula. In the skull, the rostrum tends to be heavy and the postorbital processes well developed. The angular process of each half mandible is broad and low (Fig. 5). The dentition is reduced, with a variable number of upper and lower incisors and molars; M3 is always absent. The cheekteeth of the upper and lower jaws closely resemble each other in form; the molars normally have two blunt cusps on their anterior portions.
Genera of Pteropodidae encountered in the Indian Subcontinent:
Genus Cynopterus
Genus Eonycteris
Genus Latidens
Genus Macroglossus
Genus Megaerops
Genus Pteropus
Genus Rousettus
Genus Sphaerias
Species identification
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