Lawrence (1945:389) named Pteropus austini as a new species closely related to P. woodfordi and other species of the P. scapulatus group of Andersen (1912:402) and Tate (1942:336). Sanborn and Beecher (1947:389), studied a series of P. woodfordi from Banika and Guadalcanal and found that skulls of two subadults agreed well with cranial characteristics ascribed to P. austini, which was based on two subadults. Lawrence (1945:61) stated also that "the interfemoral membrane is entirely absent medially in austini, while in woodfordi it is present as a barely discernible ridge 8 mm. wide." Andersen (1912:408) had earlier reported that in the type of woodfordi the interfemoral membrane was "undeveloped in [the] centre." In 13 adults (in alcohol) studied by Sanborn and Beecher (1947:389), as well as in adults examined by me, the uropatagium is not present. In size, however, these specimens agree with dimensions given for woodfordi by Thomas (1888a:156) and Andersen (1912:410); for example, length of forearm is 93-99. According to Lawrence (1945:59) austini, in which the interfemoral membrane is lacking, is smaller than woodfordi and has a forearm of about 84. In two juveniles of P. woodfordi in the U. S. National Museum, the medially-developed interfemoral membrane is about 7 wide. One specimen has small but distinct calcars whereas the other (slightly larger) apparently lacks calcars. This suggests individual variation in the presence or absence, as well as in the size, of the uropatagium in Pteropus woodfordi.
Sanborn and Beecher (1947:389) decided that "until fully adult specimens showing the characters of austini are available, it best be considered a synonym of woodfordi." For the following reasons I agree with these authors: (1) austini is known from only two specimens, both of which are apparently subadults; (2) austini is reported to have a forearm 84 long and no interfemoral membrane, whereas woodfordi has a forearm about 96 long and an interfemoral membrane that is only slightly developed; (3) specimens that agree in size and cranial characters with the type of woodfordi but that lack an interfemoral membrane have been obtained; and (4) skulls of subadults of woodfordi agree with the description of skulls of austini.
Sanborn (1931:19) reported that specimens of Pteropus woodfordi were obtained at night, while feeding on young green coconuts. Lawrence (1945:62) reported that in the late afternoon a collector found individuals of austini [= woodfordi] in the fronds of a coconut tree, apparently feeding on pollen shoots. Sanborn and Beecher (1947:388) have reported malaria (Plasmodium) in P. woodfordi obtained on Guadalcanal. They suggested that malaria might have rendered one individual helpless because when it was found, on the ground, no wounds were evident and parasites were present in the blood.
Fig. 7. Distribution of Pteropus woodfordi (
) and P. mahaganus (
