Smallest fruit bat species

The world's smallest species of fruit bat (family Pteropodidae) is the spotted-winged fruit bat Balionycteris maculata. Native to the understory of dense forests in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and southern Thailand, it is the sole member of its genus, and has a head-and-body length of only 5–7 cm, a wingspan of 28 cm, and a weight of approximately 13 g. As its name suggests, this species is rendered distinctive by virtue of the spotted patterning upon its wings, which is not seen in any other species of small fruit bat. It also has a unique dentition, explaining why it is housed in its own genus, delineating it from all other fruit bat species.