Bats of Southern and Central Africa. Ara Monadjem

Matschie 1899 are synonyms. There is confusion regarding the taxonomic relationships within the small-sized Epomophorus bats – the labiatus/minor/minimus group. Here, we retain minor within labiatus. Bergmans (1988) recognised E. minor as a valid species with a predominantly East African distribution ranging from Malawi and Zambia north to Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, with several possible records from southern DRC (van Cakenberghe et al. 2017). The taxon E. minimus has also been confused with E. labiatus and a single possible record exists for southern DRC (van Cakenberghe et al. 2017). Epomophorus labiatus, in contrast, has the core of its distribution centred around Lake Victoria, extending north into Ethiopia and Sudan and south into northwestern Tanzania. An isolated population from Malawi (Bergmans 1988), which was originally identified as anurus (Heuglin 1864), is now synonymised with labiatus, while another Malawi population was recently elevated to specific rank as E. anselli (Bergmans and van Strien 2004). Currently, labiatus, minor and minimus can only be distinguished based on slight differences in size. Molecular studies, not yet conducted on this group, are long overdue and may finally resolve the relationship between these taxa.

      ^{1 Happold et al. (1987)}

      ^{2 Specimens measured by the authors}

      Epomophorus wahlbergi (Sundevall 1846)

      Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bat Least Concern

      Description: Epomophorus wahlbergi is a large bat with a mass of around 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 broader than that of the similar E. crypturus (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 skull is conspicuously dorsoventrally flattened; the braincase is without posterior downward deflection. The maxilla is distinctly broader than in E. crypturus (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, but only one beyond the last molar. The dental formula is 2121/2132 = 28. Tooth eruption, and its use in aging, is presented in Sowler (1980).

      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. The palatal ridges of Epomops are very different from those of Epomophorus; in the latter there are six narrow ridges. Adult E. wahlbergi can be distinguished from sympatric E. crypturus by the presence of one post-dental palatal ridge (two in E. crypturus) and broader muzzle (in E. wahlbergi, width of maxilla at labial posterior edges of the upper M3 > 13 mm, > 14 mm in females and males, respectively; in E. crypturus < 13 mm, < 14 mm in adult females and males, respectively) (Taylor and Monadjem 2008).

      Echolocation call: This bat does not echolocate.

      Distribution, habitat and roosting: Epomophorus wahlbergi is widespread and abundant in the eastern parts of the region, where it has been recorded from the Eastern Cape, through KwaZulu-Natal and Eswatini to Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, Zambia and the southern DRC. It is widespread in Malawi and western Angola, but is absent from Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and the western two-thirds of South Africa. The type specimen is from near ‘Port Natal’ (= Durban), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

      A recent study used ensemble niche modelling to show that abiotic variables associated with productivity (synergistic effects of temperature and rainfall) were the primary determinants of habitat suitability for E. wahlbergi under both current and future climatic conditions (Arumoogum et al. 2019).

      This species is well represented in museums, with over 280 records examined for this book (Volpers and Kumirai 1996).

External and cranial measurements (mm) and mass (g) for Epomophorus wahlbergi, males and females presented separately
	Mean	Min	Max	SD	N		Mean	Min	Max	SD	N
Males	Females
Mass ^1	111.1	68.0	165.0	25.30	5	Mass ^1	91.6	64.0	124.7	14.15	33
FA ^1	85.1	75.0	93.0	4.07	5	FA ^1	81.2	68.7	91.0	3.71	64
Total ^1	145.3	105	211	23.20	4	Total ^1	129.9	85	165	16.75	53
Tail ^1	0	-	-	-	4	Tail ^1	0	-	-	-	18
Tibia ^1	-	-	-	-	5