Sulawesi Fruit Bat

About this species

It is presently the only member of the genus Pilonycteris. P. celebensis is thought to be the only member of Pilonycteris, but Rousettus linduensis may also belong. The tibia of the Sulawesi rousette bat is covered in dense fur. The bony arch of its cheek is narrow and triangular in shape. The male's distal end of the penis has a flattened and triangular shape. Rousettus celebensis is a fruit-eating bat; it has big wings which allow it to carry heavy loads and also make it a good seed disperser. (Wikipedia, general species account).

The Sulawesi rousette or Sulawesi fruit bat (Pilonycteris celebensis) belongs to megabat in the family Pteropodidae endemic to Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia. It was formerly classified in the genus Rousettus until 2021, when a phylogenetic study found it to belong to its own genus (and tribe, although a new tribe was not described for it) that was more derived than Rousettus, which was described as Pilonycteris. (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of sulawesi guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)