Fijian Monkey-faced Bat
Encyclopedia
The Fijian monkey-faced bat (Mirimiri acrodonta), also called the Fiji Flying Fox, is an megabat
endemic to Fiji
. It was discovered the hills of Taveuni
by Bill Beckon in 1977 and is Fiji's only endemic mammal. It is listed as a critically endangered
species due to habitat loss. It has recently been transferred from Pteralopex
to its own monotypic
genus Mirimiri.
Megabat
Megabats constitute the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera . They are also called fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.-Description:...
endemic to Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. It was discovered the hills of Taveuni
Taveuni
Taveuni is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, with a total land area of 435 square kilometers . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated 6.5 kilometers to the east of Vanua Levu, across the...
by Bill Beckon in 1977 and is Fiji's only endemic mammal. It is listed as a critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
species due to habitat loss. It has recently been transferred from Pteralopex
Pteralopex
Pteralopex is a genus of large megabats in the Pteropodidae family. They are restricted to Solomon Islands rain forests in Melanesia, and all species are seriously threatened, being rated as either endangered or critically endangered by IUCN. Two species, P. taki and P...
to its own monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus Mirimiri.