Pteropus aruensis Peters 1867

Pteropus aruensis Peters 1867, Monatsb. K. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1867: 330.

Type Locality: Indonesia, Aru Isls.

Vernacular Names: Aru Flying Fox.

Synonyms: Pteropus fumigatus Rosenberg 1867; Pteropus rubiginosus Rosenberg 1867 .

Distribution: Aru Isls (Indonesia).

Conservation: CITES – Appendix II. IUCN / SSC Action Plan (1992) – No Data: Limited Distribution as Pteropus melanopogon aruensis . IUCN 2003 – Not listed. This species has not been collected since the nineteenth century, and probably should be listed as Critically Endangered (K. Helgen, pers. comm.).

Discussion: melanopogon species group. Often listed as a subspecies of melanopogon following Laurie and Hill (1954), but see Bergmans (2001), who argued that aruensis should be considered distinct pending additional review of this complex.