Thai National Parks

Blanford's fruit bat

Binomial name: Sphaerias blanfordi, Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas, 1891

Blanford's Fruit Bat (Sphaerias blanfordi) is a mountain species of megabat. The only recording of it was from the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park in Chiengmai, Thailand. According to Lekagul and McNeely (1977), the species is confined to the Thai-Burmese border, Uttar Pradesh in India and eastern Nepal.

Biology and ecology

A male and three female S. blanfordi were netted in a secondary habitat at 1020 m elevation. In May 1997, an adult female was lactating, two immature female fledglings and a subadult were observed at Doi Suthep. The bats were found in the nets the morning, presumably caught between the last net check at midnight and dawn. All S. blanfordi were caught approximately 0.8 m to 1.5 m above the ground. One site had about 50% canopy cover, relatively dense undergrowth with saplings and the net was set across a fire break on a slope. The other catching site had about 90% canopy cover, relatively sparse undergrowth with some seedlings, ginger and Pandanus plants. The net was set between two clumps of banana plants on a slope. During the survey, the night temperature was cool (approximately 20oC) and misty around daybreak. There is little ecological information recorded for this species (Lekagul and McNeely 1977).

External measurements

FA = 52.14, TL = none, EL = 18.58, HD = 27.56, TB = 20.25, WT = 31.00, HB = 78.63, HF = 11.23, D5 = 69.36; 1 sample. An immature (B0777) had a forearm length exceeding the range recorded by Lekagul and McNeely (1977). All other adult, subadult and immature were within range of external measurements given by Lekagul and McNeely (1977).

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