Considering the restricted distribution of this taxon, it is relatively well represented in museums, with over 30 records examined for this book.
In southern Africa, it has been recorded roosting in a banana tree (Lawrence and Loveridge in Happold et al. 1987) and a disused tourist hut (Ansell 1967). In Mozambique, it was netted in a small banana plantation (A. Monadjem, personal observation), suggesting that it was roosting in the banana trees. This taxon is associated with fruiting trees in woodland savanna (Happold et al. 1987).
| External and cranial measurements (mm) and mass (g) for Epomophorus labiatus, males and females presented separately | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | Min | Max | SD | N | Mean | Min | Max | SD | N | ||
| Males | Females | ||||||||||
| Mass 1 | 53.5 | 48.0 | 63.5 | 6.30 | 5 | Mass 1 | 40.5 | 32.5 | 51.0 | 5.80 | 9 |
| FA 1 | 63.7 | 61.0 | 68.0 | 2.80 | 5 | FA 1 | 60.5 | 58.0 | 63.5 | 1.70 | 9 |
| Total 1 | 110.7 | 105 | 115 | - | 4 | Total 1 | 97.2 | 90 | 103 | 5.40 | 5 |
| Tail 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 5 | - | 4 | Tail 1 | 2.4 | 0 | 5 | 2.50 | 5 |
| Tibia 1 | 27.2 | 26.0 | 29.0 | 1.10 | 5 | Tibia 1 | 25.7 | 24.0 | 27.5 | 1.30 | 7 |
| Ear 1 | 19.6 | 18 | 21 | 1.10 | 5 | Ear 1 | 17.8 | 17 | 19 | 0.90 | 7 |
| CI 2 | 34.3 | 30.0 | 36.0 | 2.57 | 5 | CI 2 | 31.5 | 29.1 | 33.7 | 2.17 | 5 |
1 Happold et al. (1987)2 Specimens measured by the authors
Figure 55. Skull and teeth of Epomophorus labiatus: (a) dorsal view, (b) ventral view, (c) lateral view, and (d) lateral view of mandible (DM 8644).
Figure 56. Adult Epomophorus labiatus, showing the small size of the bat (DM 8644, © A. Monadjem).
Extralimital: Epomophorus labiatus occurs widely in East Africa west to Nigeria, including Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Chad, Congo, and DRC. The taxon minor, however, is restricted to East Africa, occurring in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and DRC.
Foraging ecology: There is no information on the diet or foraging behaviour of Epomophorus labiatus in southern Africa, but elsewhere it feeds on the following plants: Mangifera indica, Kigelia aethiopica, K. pinnata, Ficus natalensis, F. vallis-choudae, and Irvingia smithii (Fujita and Tuttle 1991).
Reproduction: In Zambia, a pregnant female with foetus was collected on 16 November (Ansell 1967); in Malawi, juveniles have been taken in January, March, April, May, October and November (Bergmans and van Strien 2004), suggesting that Epomophorus labiatus may breed throughout the year.
SYSTEMATIC NOTES
1837.Pteropus labiatus Temminck, Monographies de mammalogie, ou description de quelques genres de mammifères, dont les espèces ont été observées dans les différens musées de l’Europe. II (2): 49–140. Van de Hoek, Leiden and Dufour and d’Ocagne, Paris.
1880.Epomophorus minor Dobson, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1879, IV: 715. Zanzibar, Tanzania.
The names reii Aellen 1950