Order Chiroptera Higher classification Myonycteris | Phylum Chordata Family Pteropodidae Scientific name Myonycteris torquata Rank Species | |
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Similar Franquet's epauletted fruit bat, Hammer‑headed bat, Epomops, Megabat, Bat |
The little collared fruit bat (Myonycteris torquata) is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae found in Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and moist savanna.
The little collared fruit bat is one of three species of African fruit bat in which antibodies to Ebola virus have been detected along with viral RNA. No culturable virus has been isolated. It is not known whether these species are incidental hosts or a reservoir of Ebolavirus infection for humans and other terrestrial mammals.