Large Samoan Flying Fox
Encyclopedia
Large Samoan Flying Fox (Pteropus coxi) is a species of fruit eating megabat
whose type specimen was originally collected in Samoa
in 1856, but was not identified as a new species until 2009. The only known specimen was collected by an American expedition to Samoa in 1838-1842, It was rediscovered by Smithsonian mammalogist Kristofer Helgen preserved in alcohol. It was the largest known bat from Polynesia
. As the type specimen is dead, and no other examples of the species are known, it is believed to be extinct.
Megabat
Megabats constitute the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera . They are also called fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.-Description:...
whose type specimen was originally collected in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
in 1856, but was not identified as a new species until 2009. The only known specimen was collected by an American expedition to Samoa in 1838-1842, It was rediscovered by Smithsonian mammalogist Kristofer Helgen preserved in alcohol. It was the largest known bat from Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. As the type specimen is dead, and no other examples of the species are known, it is believed to be extinct.