ALLOMATERNAL CARE - HELPER-ASSISTED BIRTH IN THE RODRIGUES FRUIT BAT,PTEROPUS-RODRICENSIS (CHIROPTERA, PTEROPODIDAE)

We report observations of allomaternal care, or epimeletic (care-givin g) behaviour, exhibited by one female toward another, before, during, and after giving birth, in the Rodrigues fruit bat, Pteropus rodricens is (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). Interactions between the expectant moth er and other roost mates, from the onset to completion of birth, were observed continuously over a period of approximately three hours. The attending female assisted the mother when she: (1) intermittently groo med her anovaginal region; (2) grasped her with partially outstretched wings; (3) 'tutored' her in a feet-down birthing posture; (4) groomed the emerging pup; and (5) physically assisted the mother by manoeuvri ng the pup into a suckling position. This is the first report of exten sive assistance given by a female bat to another during parturition. W e suggest that epimeletic behaviour may be common in the highly social Chiroptera, especially among primiparous or inexperienced females and /or when an expectant mother experiences difficulty during labour and parturition. Our observations support the hypothesis that roosting ass ociations in bats may be as important as relatedness in explaining the occurrence of apparently altruistic acts.