1 Bergmans and van Strien (2004)
Epomophorus crypturus Peters 1852
Peters’s epauletted fruit bat Least Concern
Description: Epomophorus crypturus is a large bat with a mass of about 100 g. The pelage is light sandy-brown. The underparts are slightly paler than the upper parts. The wings are light brown and sparsely covered in hair. Adult males are much larger than females, and may be distinguished by a broader muzzle with a folded upper lip and the presence of shoulder epaulettes. These epaulettes are pockets containing long (9 mm in length) white fur that can be erected to display prominent white shoulder patches. At rest, these patches disappear as the fur is retracted into the pocket. The ears have a patch of white fur at their base. The muzzle is dog-like and narrower than that of the similar E. wahlbergi (Taylor and Monadjem 2008).
The skull is robust with sturdy zygomatic arches. Mature males have larger skulls (greatest length > 52 mm) than females (< 52 mm). In lateral profile, the entire cranium is dorsoventrally flattened and only very slightly bowed; the rostrum slopes gradually downwards anteriorly and the braincase is very slightly deflected downward posteriorly. The maxilla is distinctly narrower than in E. wahlbergi (Taylor and Monadjem 2008). The sagittal crest is low, but usually clearly visible. The lambdoid crest is fairly well developed. There are six narrow palatal ridges present, two beyond the last molar. The fourth palatal ridge is midway between the third and the fifth ridges. The dental formula is 2121/2132 = 28.
Key identification features: The combination of white patches at the base of the ears and shoulder epaulettes (males) separates Epomophorus and Epomops from other fruit bats. Palatal ridges of Epomops are very different from those of Epomophorus; in the latter there are six narrow ridges. Adult E. crypturus can be distinguished from sympatric E. wahlbergi by the presence of two post-dental palatal ridges (only one in E. wahlbergi) and narrower muzzle (in E. crypturus, width of maxilla at labial posterior edges of the upper M3 < 13 mm, < 14 mm in adult females and males, respectively; in E. wahlbergi > 13 mm, > 14 mm in females and males, respectively) (Taylor and Monadjem 2008). Epomophorus crypturus and E. angolensis can be separated by the pattern of palatal ridges whereby the fourth palatal ridge is midway between the third and fifth ridges in E. crypturus.
Echolocation call: This bat does not echolocate.
Distribution, habitat and roosting: Epomophorus crypturus is widespread and abundant in the eastern parts of the region, where it has been recorded from northern KwaZulu-Natal and Eswatini, through the Kruger National Park to Zimbabwe, northern Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, extreme southern DRC and northern Mozambique. It appears to be absent from coastal forest in southern Mozambique, and there are only two records for eastern Angola. It is possibly widespread in eastern Angola, where it may have been overlooked. The type specimen is from Tete, Mozambique (ZMB 10080, Lectotype).
| External and cranial measurements (mm) and mass (g) for Epomophorus crypturus, males and females presented separately | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | Min | Max | SD | N | Mean | Min | Max | SD | N | ||
| Males | Females | ||||||||||
| Mass 1 | 104.5 | 80.0 | 140.0 | 12 | Mass 1 | 75.5 | 64.0 | 88.0 | 12 | ||
| FA 2 | 84.5 | 80.0 | 88.4 | 51 | FA 2 | 79.0 | 75.0 | 83.2 | 40 | ||
| Total 3 | 147.0 | 126 | 168 | 14.30 | 14 | Total 3 | 129.0 | 106 | 148 | 12.20 | 16 |
| Tail 3 | 0 | 8 | Tail 3 | 0 | 12 | ||||||
| Tibia | - | - | - | - | - | Tibia | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ear 3 | 24.8 | 19 | 28 | 2.50 | 14 | Ear 3 | 24 | 21 | 27 | 1.77 | 16 |
| CI 3 | 51.5 | 44.7 | 55.1 | 2.70 | 18 | CI 3 |
42.3
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