Taxonomy and biogeography of African fruit bats (Mammalia, Megachiroptera). 3. The genera Scotonycteris Matschie, 1894, Casinycteris Thomas, 1910, Pteropus Brisson, 1762, and Eidolon Rafinesque, 1815

The genera Scotonycteris Matschie, 1984, Casinycteris Thomas, 1910, Pteropus Brisson, 1762 and Eidolon Rafinesque, 1815 are characterized. An effort is made to assess the possible relationship between the genera Scotonycteris and Casinycteris. Within Scotonycteris zenkeri Matschie, 1894 a number of geographically disjunct or probably disjunct and morphologically distinct populations groups are recognized. The available material of Scotonycteris ophiodon Pohle, 1943 suggests that this species may also consist of a number of geographically disjunct and possibly morphologically distinguishable groups. Its distribution shadows that of S. zenkeri. The genus Casinycteris and the nature and function of its peculiarly shortened bony palate are discussed, in relation to the condition of the postdental palate in Neopteryx Hayman, 1946. The genus Pteropus and its species inhibiting islands in the western part of the Indian Ocean are treated less extensively than the other African fruit bats. It is shown that subspecific divisions in P. rufus E. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1903 cannot be maintained, consequently P. r. princeps Andersen, 1908 is synonymized with P. rufus. The type locality of P. seychellensis Milne Edwards, 1877 is identified as the Island of Mariane - an altogether new locality for the species. P. s. seychellensis and P. s. comorensis M. J. Nicoll, 1908 are more closely related than formerly recognized, whereas P. aldabrensis True, 1893, is more distant and considered a good species instead of a subspecies of P. seychellensis. The genus Eidolon shows agreement with Rousettus Gray, 1821 in braincase deflection and morphology. E. helvum (Kerr, 1792) is shown to be practically absent from the Sudan woodland zone south of the Sahara, and most probably from eastern Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, and only very locally distributed in central East Africa and in most of southern Africa. The alleged monotypy of the genus Eidolon is shown to be based on a misinterpretation of the literature. The form described from Madagascar, Eidolon dupreanum (Pollen, 1867) is considered an independent species.