Nyctimene (genus)


Nyctimene is a genus of bats in the family Pteropodidae, commonly known as tube-nosed fruit bats. They are distributed in the central Philippines, eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the north-east coast of Australia.

Taxonomy

The genus was erected by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen in 1797. The name Nyctimene, derived from Ancient Greek, means 'night moon'.

Description

The facial features of the species are distinguished by projecting nostrils, rather than the simple features of most other megabats, the appearance of which has been likened to a frightened horse.

Species

The recognised taxa are named in the vernacular as tube-nosed fruit bats or tube-nosed bats, and includes the following