Pteropodidae is one of the twenty families of bats in the mammalian order Chiroptera and part of the Yinpterochiroptera suborder. Members of this family are called pteropodids, fruit bats, flying foxes, or megabats. They are found in Africa, Asia, and Australia, primarily in forests and caves, though some can be found in savannas, shrublands, wetlands, and rocky areas. They range in size from the long-tongued nectar bat, at plus a minute tail, to the great flying fox, at with no tail. Like all bats, pteropodids are capable of true and sustained flight, and have forearm lengths ranging from for several species to for the large flying fox, which has an overall wingspan of up to . Most species primarily or exclusively eat fruit, though the ten species of the subfamily Macroglossusinae primarily eat pollen and nectar and the sixteen species of the genus Nyctimene sometimes eat insects. Most pteropodids do not have population estimates, though six species have been driven extinct in modern times: the Guam flying fox, large Palau flying fox, large Samoan flying fox, Percy Island flying fox, small Mauritian flying fox, and small Samoan flying fox, 29 species are categorized as endangered species, and 7 species are categorized as critically endangered: Bulmer's fruit bat, Philippine naked-backed fruit bat, Fijian monkey-faced bat, greater monkey-faced bat, montane monkey-faced bat, Aru flying fox, and Ontong Java flying fox, with populations as low as 50 or fewer.

The 198 extant species of Pteropodidae are divided into seven subfamilies: Cynopterinae, with 31 species in 15 genera; Eidolinae, with 2 species in a single genus; Harpyionycterinae, with 18 species in 4 genera; Nyctimeninae, with 18 species in 2 genera; Pteropodinae, with 76 species in 7 genera plus 6 extinct species; Rousettinae, with 41 species in 13 genera; and Macroglossusinae, with 12 species in 5 genera. Several extinct prehistoric pteropodid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.

Conventions

The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the pteropodid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "".

Classification The family Pteropodidae consists of 198 extant species in seven subfamilies: Eidolinae, Harpyionycterinae, Nyctimeninae, Pteropodinae, Rousettinae, and Macroglossusinae. There are additionally six species that have been made extinct in the modern era in Pteropodinae.

Family Pteropodidae Subfamily Cynopterinae Genus Aethalops (sooty bats): two species Genus Alionycteris (Mindanao pygmy fruit bat): one species Genus Balionycteris (spotted-winged fruit bats): two species Genus Chironax (black-capped fruit bats): two species Genus Cynopterus (short-nosed fruit bats): seven species Genus Dyacopterus (dyak fruit bats): three species Genus Haplonycteris (Fischer's pygmy fruit bat): one species Genus Latidens (Salim Ali's fruit bat): one species Genus Megaerops (tailless fruit bats): four species Genus Otopteropus (Luzon fruit bat): one species Genus Penthetor (dusky fruit bat): one species Genus Ptenochirus (musky fruit bats): three species Genus Sphaerias (Blanford's fruit bat): one species Genus Thoopterus (swift fruit bats): two species Subfamily Eidolinae Genus Eidolon (palm bats): two species Subfamily Harpyionycterinae Genus Aproteles (Bulmer's fruit bat): one species Genus Boneia (Manado fruit bat): one species Genus Dobsonia (naked-backed fruit bats): fourteen species Genus Harpyionycteris (harpy fruit bats): two species Subfamily Macroglossusinae Genus Macroglossus (long-tongued fruit bats): two species Genus Melonycteris (black-bellied fruit bat): one species Genus Nesonycteris (Solomon Islands blossom bats): four species Genus Notopteris (long-tailed blossom bats): two species Genus Syconycteris (blossom bats): one species

Subfamily Nyctimeninae Genus Nyctimene (tube-nosed fruit bats): sixteen species Genus Paranyctimene (lesser tube-nosed fruit bats): two species Subfamily Pteropodinae Genus Acerodon (sharp-toothed flying foxes): five species Genus Desmalopex (white-winged flying foxes): two species Genus Mirimiri (Fijian monkey-faced bat): one species Genus Neopteryx (small-toothed fruit bat): one species Genus Pteralopex (monkey-faced bats): five species Genus Pteropus (flying foxes): sixty-six species (six extinct) Genus Styloctenium (stripe-faced fruit bats): two species Subfamily Rousettinae Genus Casinycteris (short-palated bats): three species Genus Eonycteris (dawn bats): three species Genus Epomophorus (epauletted bats): eleven species Genus Epomops (epauletted fruit bats): two species Genus Hypsignathus (hammer-headed bat): one species Genus Megaloglossus (long-tongued fruit bats): two species Genus Myonycteris (collared fruit bats): five species Genus Nanonycteris (Veldkamp's dwarf epauletted fruit bat): one species Genus Pilonycteris (Sulawesi rousette): one species Genus Plerotes (D'Anchieta's fruit bat): one species Genus Rousettus (rousettes): seven species Genus Scotonycteris (tear-drop bats): three species Genus Stenonycteris (long-haired fruit bat): one species

Pteropodids The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN SSC Bat Specialist Group and the American Society of Mammalogists.

Subfamily Cynopterinae

Subfamily Eidolinae

Subfamily Harpyionycterinae

Subfamily Macroglossusinae

Subfamily Nyctimeninae

Subfamily Pteropodinae

Subfamily Rousettinae

References Nowak, pp. 48–49

Wilson, Reeder, pp. 313-349

Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 448–449 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 450–451 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 452–453 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 454–455 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 456–457 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 458–459 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 460–461 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 462–463 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 464–465

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