Southern Blossom Bat – Syconycteris australis

Syconycteris australisPeters, 1867

Accepted name, Mammal Species of the World 2005

Includes naias and crassa; see Lidicker and Ziegler (1968) and Koopman (1982). Reviewed by Hill (1983); also see Kitchener et al. (1994d), Flannery (1995a, b), Bonaccorso (1998), and Kompanje and Moeliker (2001). Subspecies limits are somewhat unclear, particularly the status of the Kai Isl form (keyensis); see Kitchener et al. (1994d). It is possible that major from Ambon and Seram Isls represents a distinct species; see Kitchener et al. (1994d). Material from Haruku and Boano Isls differs from typical major and may require recognition as a distinct subspecies; see Kompanje and Moeliker (2001). There is also an undescribed subspecies from Biak-Supiori (K. Helgen, pers. comm.). High-altitude specimens of australis from mainland New Guinea are also in need of systematic revision (Kompanje and Moeliker, 2001).

• Wilson, D and Reeder, D. (eds.) 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3rd ed. -- 2142 pp. Johns Hopkins University Press.