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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Little Red Flying Fox

Pteropus scapulatus Peters, 1862

Source-backed taxonomic record

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 little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus) is a megachiropteran bat native to northern and eastern Australia. The species weighs about half a kilogram, one US pound, and is the smallest species of Pteropus in mainland Australia. P. scapulatus occurs at the coast and further inland, camping and flying to the tropical to temperate regions that provide them with an annual source of nectar. They exhibit an unusual method of obtaining drinking water during dry periods, skimming a stream's surface to gather it onto their fur while they are in flight.

Wikipedia contributors, Little red flying fox; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:29:52.985364+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Pteropus scapulatus Peters, 1862
Name authority
Peters, 1862
Common name
Little Red 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.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
  9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
  10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
  11. orderChiroptera Blumenbach, 1779
  12. suborderYinpterochiroptera Springer, Teeling, Madsen, Stanhope & Jong, 2001
  13. familyPteropodidae Gray, 1821
  14. subfamilyPteropodinae Gray, 1821
  15. tribePteropodini Gray, 1821
  16. genusPteropus Brisson, 1762
  17. speciesPteropus scapulatus Peters, 1862

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Pteropus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Admiralty Flying FoxPteropus admiralitatum Thomas, 1894PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Aldabra Flying FoxPteropus aldabrensis True, 1893PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
North Moluccan Flying FoxPteropus caniceps Gray, 1870PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Bismark Masked Flying FoxPteropus capistratus Peters, 1876PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Moluccan Flying FoxPteropus chrysoproctus Temminck, 1837PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Makira Flying FoxPteropus cognatus K. Andersen, 1908PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Spectacled Flying FoxPteropus conspicillatus Gould, 1850PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Large Samoan Flying FoxPteropus coxi Helgen, Helgen & Wilson, 2009PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extinct
Gilliard's Flying FoxPteropus gilliardorum Van Deusen, 1969PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Ontong Java Flying FoxPteropus howensis Troughton, 1931PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Island Flying FoxPteropus hypomelanus Temminck, 1853PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Kai Flying FoxPteropus keyensis Peters, 1867PteropodidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 158 records assigned to Pteropodidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Australia

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.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=631656 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:78M5B. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.