Order Chiroptera Higher classification Flying foxes | Phylum Chordata Family Pteropodidae Rank Species | |
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Similar Pelew flying fox, Yap flying fox, Ontong Java flying fox, Lombok flying fox, Banks flying fox |
The Okinawa flying fox (Pteropus loochoensis) is a species of megabat in the Pteropus genus. It is endemic to possibly Japan. It was previously listed as extinct by the IUCN, but because the two known specimens are taxonomically uncertain and of unknown provenance, it was changed to 'Data Deficient'. Some place this animal into synonymy under Pteropus mariannus. Others treat the Okinawa flying fox as a subspecies of the latter, while some give it full species status. Two specimens are in the British Natural History Museum, and the whereabouts of the third is unknown. Two of the specimens are believed to have come from Southeast Asia, so the true distribution of the Okinawa flying fox is unknown.
References
Okinawa flying fox Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA