A revision of the African genus Myonycteris Matschie, 1899 (Mammalia, Megachiroptera)

The fruit bat genus Myonycteris Matschie, 1899, is considered to contain only two valid taxa: the species M. torquata (Dobson, 1878) inhabiting the forest blocks in West Africa and Central Africa, and M. brachycephala (Bocage, 1889) from the island of São Tomé. M. wroughtoni Andersen, 1908, and M. leptodon Andersen, 1908, are considered synonyms of M. torquata. The subgenus Phygetis Andersen, 1912, proposed for the species brachycephala only, is sunk into the synonymy of Myonycteris. A number of new (collecting) localities for torquata is recorded, among which the first one in Nigeria. Data are included on morphological variability, sexual dimorphism, ecology and biology. The possible type locality of torquata, and some evolutionary trends within the genus are discussed.