Vanikoro Flying Fox
Pteropus tuberculatus Peters, 1869
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Vanikoro flying fox (Pteropus tuberculatus), also known locally as the basapine, is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It has only been found in the Vanikoro island group located in the southern Solomon Islands. The species as a whole was originally known from just a few specimens collected sometime before 1930 but following surveys conducted on the island in the early 1990s did not detect this species again causing the Vanikoro flying fox to be listed as extinct. However, the species was rediscovered by a survey conducted in late 2014 which indicated a population in the high hundreds or low thousands and reported all observations.
Wikipedia contributors, Vanikoro flying fox; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:17:10.815051+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pteropus tuberculatus Peters, 1869
- Name authority
- Peters, 1869
- Common name
- Vanikoro Flying Fox
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Pteropodidae
- Genus
- Pteropus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderChiroptera Blumenbach, 1779
- suborderYinpterochiroptera Springer, Teeling, Madsen, Stanhope & Jong, 2001
- familyPteropodidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyPteropodinae Gray, 1821
- tribePteropodini Gray, 1821
- genusPteropus Brisson, 1762
- speciesPteropus tuberculatus Peters, 1869
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pteropus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Admiralty Flying FoxPteropus admiralitatum Thomas, 1894 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Aldabra Flying FoxPteropus aldabrensis True, 1893 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| North Moluccan Flying FoxPteropus caniceps Gray, 1870 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bismark Masked Flying FoxPteropus capistratus Peters, 1876 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Moluccan Flying FoxPteropus chrysoproctus Temminck, 1837 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Makira Flying FoxPteropus cognatus K. Andersen, 1908 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spectacled Flying FoxPteropus conspicillatus Gould, 1850 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Large Samoan Flying FoxPteropus coxi Helgen, Helgen & Wilson, 2009 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Gilliard's Flying FoxPteropus gilliardorum Van Deusen, 1969 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ontong Java Flying FoxPteropus howensis Troughton, 1931 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Island Flying FoxPteropus hypomelanus Temminck, 1853 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kai Flying FoxPteropus keyensis Peters, 1867 | PteropodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=631661 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4Q348. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.