Black-eared flying fox Black-eared flying fox The black-eared flying fox ("Pteropus melanotus"), also known as Blyth's flying fox and Christmas Island flying fox, is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found on Christmas Island (Australia), Andaman Islands (India), Nicobar Islands (India), and Sumatra (Indonesia). The population on Christmas Island, which is critically endangered, is considered either a subspecies of "Pteropus melanotus", or a distinct species, "Pteropus natalis." The black-eared flying fox is native to various island groups in the Indo-Pacific. These include the Andaman Islands, the Nicobar Islands, the Mentawai Islands and Christmas Island. It mostly roosts in large
Indian flying fox a new name for a species that had already been described—"Vespertilio vampyrus" which is now "Pteropus vampyrus" (the large flying fox). Mlíkovský made several points in his argument, all with a foundation in the nomenclature rule known as Principle of Priority. The Principle of Priority posits that the first formal, published scientific name given to a species shall be the name that is used. Because Brünnich was attempting to rename the large flying fox in his 1782 publication, his name should not apply to either the large or the Indian flying fox—an older name was in existence, and therefore the