Melonycteris (Melonycteris) melanops Dobson 1877

Melonycteris (Melonycteris) melanops Dobson 1877, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877: 119.

Type Locality: Given by Andersen (1912:790) as " New Ireland, coast adjacent to Duke of York Isl." (Papua New Guinea, Bismarck Arch.).

Vernacular Names: Black-bellied Fruit Bat.

Synonyms: Melonycteris (Melonycteris) alboscapulatus Ramsay 1877 .

Distribution: Bismarck Arch.; a New Guinea record is highly questionable (Flannery, 1993 b).

Conservation: IUCN / SSC Action Plan (1992) – Not Threatened. IUCN 2003 – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Melonycteris . Reviewed by Flannery (1993 b); also see Flannery (1995 b) and Bonaccorso (1998).