14. NAYALUS, 341 set straight parallel short hairs, forming a comb-like fringe. Beneath, the wing-membrane is clothed with very fine rather long hairs as far as a line joining the elbow- and knee-joints ; the remainder of the membrane is naked, except where a few very short, almost invisible hairs arise from the transverse dotted lines. Upper incisors slender and very acutely pointed ; the inner incisors not so much curved forwards as in K. picta, with a minute basal cusp posteriorly not visible from without; outer incisor unicuspidate, nearly as long as the inner incisor ; first,and second upper premolars smaller in proportion to the other teeth than in other species ot the genus, the second premolar less than the first in cross section at the base.
Length (of an adult ¢), head and body 1'°7, tail 2", head 0'-65, ear 0"'5, tragus 0'°3, forearm 1'-4, thumb 0'°35, third finger 3’"2, fifth finger 2''2, tibia 0-6, caleaneum 0'"8, foot 0'"35. Ha). 8.E. Africa (Shupanga, near the Zambesi River ; east coast of Cape Colony).
Dr. Kirk found a colony of this species inhabiting the hanging nests of Weaver-birds at Shupanga.
abe G & 29 ad., al. Shupanga, Zambesi. Dr. Kirk [C.]. (Type of Nycticejus nidicola, Kirk:)
Under the name of Kerivoula argentata Mr. Tomes has described (P. Z. S. 1861, p. 32) a species from Otjoro, 8.W. Africa, which, judging from the description, appears to be an example of an old individual of K. lanosa or, at most, a local variety of that species. The ears and tragus, the distribution of the fur and the teeth, are quite as in K. lanosa, the only differences being that the single specimen on which Mr. Tomes has founded his species has the forearm one tenth of an inch longer, and the extreme tips of the fur are of a “shining and silvery white.”
14. NATALUS.
Natalus, Gray, Mag. Zool. §& Bot. ii. p. 496 (1838) ; Tomes, P. ZS. 1856, p. 176, Nyctiellus, Gervais, Expéd. du Comte de Castelnau, Zoologie, p. 84 1855).
Sein Gervais, Comptes Rendus de 0 Acad. des Sciences, 1856, p: 547.
Muzzle elongated, the crown of the head considerably elevated above the concave forehead ; upper surface of the muzzle sloping down evenly on all sides to the margin of the lip; nasal apertures oval, close together, opening near the margin of the lip; lower lip broad, reflected outwards in front; ears funnel-shaped, the surface of the conch studded with glandular papilla as in Kerwoula, the outer margin terminating abruptly between the tragus and the angle of the mouth ; tragus short, more or less triangular in outline ; thumb very short, nearly wholly enclosed in the antebrachial mem-
342 VESPERTILIONIDE, brane; wing- and interfemoral membranes much developed, with numerous dotted lines; wing-membranes from the inferior surface of the lower end of the tibia and from the base of the calcaneum ; tail very long, wholly enclosed in the interfemoral membrane ; calcanea convex backwards as in Kerivoula ; no postcalcaneal lobe. Dentition. Inc. =. C. = pm. — m. — Upper incisors in pairs, separated from the canines and also in front, the inner incisors diverging slightly from the outer ones as in Vespertilio; first and second premolars in both jaws well developed.
sen Neotropical Region (Antillean, Mexican, and Brazilian Subregions).
This genus is evidently the representative of Kerivoula in the New World. In the general form of the head and ears, of the wing- and interfemoral membranes, and even in the teeth, it approaches that genus closely ; but the much greater elevation of the crown of the head, the remarkable shortness of the thumb, the peculiar form of the tragus, the mode of attachment of the wing-membrane to the hinder extremities, and the position and form of the upper incisors distinguish it at once from all other genera of Vespertilionide, and even indicate its affinity to some of the genera of Emballonuride. Synopsis of the Species.
a. Tragus broad at the base, narrow and pointed above; forearm 175... 0... cee eee e eee 1. MN. stramineus, p. 342. b. Tragus narrow opposite the base of its inner margin, expanded above; forearm 1'"05 .. 2. MN. lepidus, p. 344. 1. Natalus stramineus.
Natalus stramineus, Gray, Mag. Zool. §& Bot. ii. p. 496 (1838); Tomes, P, Z, 8. 1856, p. 178, pl. xlii.
? Vespertilio splendidus, Wagner, Wiegm. Arehiv, 1845, p. 148; Abhandl. Munch. Akad. v. p. 208.
Head long, forehead concave, so that the crown of the head appears to be considerably raised above the face-line ; nostrils forming a rounded ridge along the centre of the upper surface of the muzzle in front, from which the sides of the face slope evenly down towards the upper lip on each side; nasal apertures close together, oval, opening downwards and forwards; lower lip broad, reflected outwards in front, with a central groove and a broad naked horizontal cushion on each side occupying a space extending outwards and backwards slightly beyond the lower canine. Ears shorter than the head, funnel-shaped ; inner margin of the ear-conch very convex, projecting forwards more than halfway between the eye and the extremity of the muzzle; at the junction of the outer and inner margins a short triangular elevation narrowly rounded off forms the tip, outer margin ending abruptly midway between the base of the tragus and the angle
~ 14. naratus. 343 of the mouth: tragus broad at the base, abruptly narrowed above and acutely pointed, the upper half twisted inwards and forwards, so that more than half the inner margin is directed forwards ; lower half of the outer margin very convex, the front and outer surface clothed with a few long straight hairs (Plate XVII. fig. 8). Thumb very short, with a feeble claw, nearly wholly enclosed in the antebrachial membrane; tibia remarkably long and slender ; caleaneum convex backwards as in Kerivoula, very long, termination indistinct ; tail much longer than the head and body, the extreme tip alone projecting ; wing-membrane attached across the end of the tibia and ankle-joint to the interfemoral membrane and base of the calcaneum ; membranes exceedingly thin, almost transparent, traversed by numerous dotted lines.
Fur, above, light brownish yellow; beneath, similar but paler. Membranes nearly naked ; a few very fine short hairs extend along the tail and form a fringe along the free margin of the interfemoral membrane; on the face long hairs extend from the ears forwards below the eyes to the small glands on the sides of the muzzle, forming a deep fringe along the upper lip.
Upper incisors short, in pairs, separated from the canines and also in front, placed in a line across the space between the canines ; outer incisor, on each side, exceeding the inner in cross section at the base, but equal to it in vertical extent, both incisors unicuspidate ; lower incisors minute, not crowded, placed in the direction of the jaws; first and second upper premolars about three fourths the size of the third premolar, the second premolar nearer to the first than to the third ; lower premolars equal in size, and in vertical extent equalling the first molar.
(For measurements, see Table on next page.)
Hab. Brazil; Central America.
a. & ad., al. Brazil.
b. ad. sk. South America.
Var. u.
In a specimen from Duefias, Guatemala, collected by Mr. Salvin, the ears are smaller and less pointed, the muzzle narrower, and the wings attached to the tibiz higher up than in the typical example of NV. stramineus. The wing-membrane becomes adherent to the under surface of the tibia at the commencement of the distal third of the tibia, and a band then extends across a much wider angle to the calcaneum ; the colour of the fur is also much darker, being dark reddish-brown above, slightly paler beneath, the extreme tip of the hairs somewhat ashy. The measurements are also different, as may be seen in the Table on next page; but in the absence of other specimens, I hesitate to describe it as the type of a distinct species. a. g ad., al Duefias, Guatemala. O. Salvin, Esq. [C.]. : yal.
3b44 VESPERTILIONIDE.
N. stramineus. Varo:
Length, head and body ...........csscccsscsteseesscevences 1-75 19 ge Cab aeiTa Aug Roney sels ects each peace) 1:95 1-9 me, AMAL. Aaa vo rodsreeiunsay ivevcenuonue selvyenacecsvcnuun 0-7 0-7 RE BAR ro acct eceeasee SUSIE cee EER NaI 0-6 0°55 py, GERABUBE:c.cb.csstenseatetescencone eee eetun sur odneas 018 0°18 ger MOKGATMI: i525 -m eye eduestccesannoaneecreracepocneces 15 16 je BUND sisacea serous edaaee caenaneasaeosassatesecesen O15 0-2 », third finger, metacarpal ..........0.. eee 13 1:35 5 ss ji Uebiphalanse ys: sietceacaoecncsasce 06 0°55 : mea Ca ae Cape EEO tect 0-95 1-0 « fourth ,, metacarpal: ccicsacsssesssccsssess 1:25 1:35 * » Let phalanx ............cc.ceeeeeeee 0°38 0°35 ‘ aT eae inc in Cent onsite ean eee 0-4 0-5 a- bith: <5: “Mmebicatpallcccccctscpsceeccseesses 1:25 1-45 ie ‘5 - Lat) phalanx. s cccsecsvesveisnsseseses 0-4 0:4 re os ies GENO cai sawthavencnueeicnacc eats 0-4 0-4 speMMbADIai,csesetstscnedaasitessercammeuen.cecesanausewt0-750-8 syLOOtesiidnsessieseanonacaacwasaaceracwaraoraceesautenies0°350-4 2. Natalus lepidus.
Vespertilio lepidus, Gervais, Ramon de la Sagra, Hist. de Vile de Cuba, p. 22, he i. figs. 1-4 (1838).
Vespertilio barbatus, Gundlach, Wiegm. Archiv, 1840, p. 356. Nyctiellus lepidus, Gervais, Zupéd. du Comte de Castelnau, Zoologie, . 84 (1855), Se elie macrurum, Gervais, Comptes Rendus de UV Acad. des Sciences, 1856, p. 547.
Considerably smaller than WV. straminea, but with similarly shaped muzzle and ears. The inner side of the ear-conch is very convex forwards, reaching more than halfway between the eye and the end of the muzzle; the tip is shortly rounded off, and the upper half of the outer margin is deeply concave, the lower half convex: tragus in form like an equilateral triangle with the base uppermost, its narrowest portion being opposite the base of its inner margin, its broadest above; the upper and inner angle projects inwards so that the inner margin of the tragus is concave above; the front surface is very concave.
Thumb very short ; wings attached higher up than in WV. stramineus to the inner sides of the inferior surface of the tibia; calcaneum feeble, termination not distinct. Fur as in NV. stramineus, but darker.
Outer upper incisors on each side separated by a considerable space from the canine, blunt, directed almost vertically downwards ; inner incisor slanting much inwards so as to approach very closely its fellow of the opposite side; lower incisors extremely small, in the direction of the jaws; first upper premolar very small, the second more than double its size, but not half the size of the third premolar, from which it is separated by a wide interval above, owing to the
15. THYROPTERA. 345 projecting cingulum of the latter tooth ; first lower premolar about half the size of the second, which equals the third in vertical extent.
Length, forearm 1-05, thumb 0-12, third finger 2", fifth finger 1-25, tibia 0", Hab. Cuba.
15. THYROPTERA.
Thyroptera, Spix, Simiar. et Vespert. Bresil. p. 61 (1823). Hyonycteris, Lichtenstein et Peters, MB. Akad. Berl. 1854, p. 335; Tomes, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 178, Muzzle elongated, slender ; crown of the head considerably elevated above the concave forehead; nasal apertures circular, rather wide apart ; ears funnel-shaped, the outer margin terminating between the base of the tragus and the angle of the mouth; base of the thumbs and soles of the feet (in the single species) with hollow suctorial disks; second finger rudimentary; middle finger with three phalanges ; wings from the base of the claws; toes equal, of two phalanges each ; tail produced to the hinder margin of the interfemoral membrane and beyond it.
Dentition. Ine. , c. a pm. —> m. =.
Upper incisors in pairs, as in Vesperugo, but separated from the canines as well as in front; premolars well developed in both jaws, as in Natalus.
Range. The Neotropical Region (Brazilian Subregion). 1. Thyroptera tricolor.
Thyroptera tricolor, Spix, Simiar. et Vespert. Bresil. p. 61, pl. xxxvi. fig. 1x. (1823) ; Dobson, P. Z, S. 1876, pp. 531-4, pl. lv. figs. 4-6 (thumb, foot, and calcaneum). - Thyroptera bicolor, Cantraine, Bull. de 0 Acad, Bruvell. xii. p. 489 1845).
ie epee discifera, Lichtenstein et Peters, MB. Akad. Berl. 1854, . 835.
H deayelees discifera et albiventer, Tomes, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 179. Ears shorter than the head, funnel-shaped, with short subacute tips; inner margin of the ear-conch convex, much less so than the outer, which in its lower two thirds is strongly convex, ending abruptly about midway between the base of the tragus and the angle of the mouth, but on a lower level, its upper third deeply concave: tragus short, with a prominent lobule opposite the base of its inner margin directed forwards, abruptly narrowed in upper third, very acutely pointed and curved inwards. The extremity of the muzzle projects, and the space between the nasal orifices is occupied by a deep pit, bounded by a rounded fleshy process above and beneath ; lower lip with a central triangular naked cushion cut off by a groove on either side.
346 VESPERTILIONID A, Thumb with a well-developed claw; and on its inferior surface, from the base of the first phalanx, and from the sides of the metacarpo-phalangeal joint, corresponding to the position of the ball of the thumb in other Bats, arises by a short peduncle a circular hollow suctorial disk about one tenth of an inch in diameter. On the sole of the foot a similar but considerably smaller disk is placed, not in the same relative position, however, as on the thumb, for it covers the metatarsal bones, not the bases of the first phalanges of the toes *.
The rudimentary metacarpal bone, which alone represents the second finger, is scarcely one third the length of the metacarpal of middle finger, and is fibro-cartilaginous; the first phalanx of the middle finger exceeds the combined lengths of the second and third phalanges ; tibie very long, considerably longer than the femur; foot small, completely rotated outwards and forwards by the wingmembrane, which extends quite to the base of the claws; toes equal in length, united together by a membrane as far as the claws, which are much curved; calcaneum longer than the foot, and very strong, with two cartilaginous projections behind at right angles to its long axis, which evidently assist the animal when climbing in an upward direction (see fig. 6 in plate accompanying my paper referred to below) ; tail produced beyond the interfemoral membrane to a distance nearly equal to the length of the calceaneum. Fur moderately long and dense, forming a thick fringe along the margin of the upper lip towards the angle of the mouth, but the wing- and interfemoral membranes above and beneath are almost naked. Above, reddish brown; beneath, the greater part of the breast and abdomen are pale yellowish white ; the under surface of the muzzle, the neck, and the sides of the body reddish brown ; membranes dark brown.
Upper incisors short, in pairs, separated from the canines and also in front; inner incisor on each side directed slightly forwards and inwards, with a second postero-external cusp, outer incisor unicuspidate, as long or slightly longer than the outer cusp of the inner incisor and parallel to it; upper canines small, scarcely longer than the second premolar ; first upper premolar smaller than the second, but well developed; third premolar very large, shaped like a molar, with a broad internal basal process; lower incisors small, in the direction of the jaws; lower canines very small; lower premolars well developed, nearly equal in size, the first slightly smaller than the others.
Length (of an adult ¢), head and body 1'7, tail 1”, free from membrane 03, head 0°65, ear 0':5, tragus 0'°18, forearm 1'°5, thumb 0'°2; third finger—metacarp. 1'-4, 1st ph. 0’-6, 2nd ph. 0'-25 ; fourth finger—metacarp. 1"°4, Ist ph. 0-38, 2nd ph. 03 ; fifth finger—metacarp. 1'"2, lst ph. 0'"4, 2nd ph. 0'°35; tibia 0''7, caleaneum 0°33, foot 0'22.
Hab. Brazil.
* For figures and description of the minute anatomy of these adhesive disks, see my paper in P. Z. 8. 1876, pp. 531-534.
- 16. mMINIOPTERUS. 347 This very remarkable species, the single representative of the genus Thyroptera, is not only peculiar among all the species of Chiroptera in possessing such highly specialized climbing organs as the adhesive disks described above, but also in the structure of the wings and in the feet agrees with none of the species of the family to which it belongs, resembling instead, in the presence of three phalanges in the middle finger, the species of the very far-removed family Phyllostomide, while in the equal number of phalanges in the toes it corresponds alone with the species of the subfamily Phyllorhinine (Rhinolophide).
a. ad. sk. Chamicuros, Peruvian Amazons. Mr. Bartlett [C.}. b, en 3 ait et Chamicuros, Peruvian Amazons. Mr. Bartlett ct ad.,al.
d. gad,al. Cayenne. M. Taczanowski (C.].
16. MINIOPTERUS.
Miniopterus, Bonaparte, Fauna Italica, fasc. xxi. (1837) ; Gray, Mag. Zool. & Bot. 1838, p.497 ; Keys. & Blas. Wiegm. Archiv, 1840, p. 4; Wagner, Suppl. Schreb. Stugeth. p. 735 (1855) ; Blasius, Fauna Deutschl. p. 45 (1857) ; Tomes, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 117; Dobson, Monogr, Asiat, Chiropt. p. 160 (1876).
Crown of the head abruptly and considerably raised above the face-line; ears separate, rhomboidal, the outer margin carried forwards to the angle of the mouth; tragus like that in Vesperugo ; nostrils simple, opening sublaterally by lunate apertures, the extremity of the nose separated from the upper lip on either side in front and beneath by a narrow groove; muzzle broad, with well developed glandular prominences ; the first phalanx of the second or longest finger very short, less than one third the length of the terminal phalanx, and but slightly longer than the first phalanx of the fourth finger, the second or terminal phalanx of the same finger very long, flexed forwards in repose on the under surface of the metacarpal bone, and reaching in that position beyond the middle of the bone; wings to the ankles or to the tibie, attached to the inferior surface, and continuous with a band of integument passing across the ankle to the interfemoral membrane covering the calcaneum ; feet long, slender, toes nearly equal in length; tazl as long as the head and body, wholly contained within the interfemoral membrane.
oe 2-2 | 1-1 2-2 3-8 Dentition. Inc. =, ¢. Fy, pm. xy, M- S Skull greatly vaulted, the vertex as high or higher than the occiput, and separated from it by a slight transverse concavity ; base of the skull broad, basioccipital laterally grooved; cochlex partially concealed by the tympanic bulle ; the bony palate extending very slightly behind the anterior roots of the zygoma ; premaxillaries more developed than in cither Vespertilro or Vesperugo ; upper incisors short, weak, in pairs on each side, separated from the canines by a space.
348 VESPERTILIONID.E.
Range. Generally distributed throughout the Eastern Hemisphere on both sides of the equator, not extending, however, into the colder regions of the temperate zones.
The species of this genus are so very closely allied that almost the only differences noticeable are size, relative lengths of parts, and distribution of the fur.
Synopsis of the Species.
a. No lobule or projection above the base of the outer margin of the tragus.
a'. Interfemoral membrane nearly naked.... 1. M. schreibersit, p. 348. b'. Half the interfemoral membrane clothed.
a, Wing-membrane external to the tibiz naked ; muzzle longer.............. 2. M. austrahs, p. 351. 6". Wing-membrane with a band of fur extending from the elbow to the ankle; muzzlo:shorter soe a cuweetien 4% « 3. DL. seotinus, p. 351. b. A distinct triangular projection above the base of the outer margin of the tragus.... 4. MM. tristis, p. 352. 1. Miniopterus schreibersii.
Vespertilio schreibersii, Natterer,in Kuhl, Deutsch. Flederm. Wetterau. Ann, iv. p. 41 (1819); Desmarest, Mammalogie, p. 138 (1820) ; Temminck, Monogr. Mammal. ii. p. 174 (1835-41). Vespertilio natalensis, Smith, S. African Quart. Journ. 1831. Vespertilio fuliginosa, Hodgson, Journ. Asiat. Soc. iv. p. 700 (1835). Miniopterus ursinii, Bonaparte, Fauna Italica (1837). Vespertilio orsinii, et blepotis, et dasythrix, Temmunck, ?. c. pp. 179, 212, 268 (1835-41).
Trilatitus blepotis, Gray, Ann. § Mag. Nat. Hist. 1842, p. 258. Vespertilio eschscholtzil, Waterhouse, P. Z. S. 1845, p. 121. Miniopterus schreibersii, Keys. et Blas. Wirbelth. Europ. p. 44; Blasius, Fauna Deutschi. p. 46, figs. 28, 29 (head and ear) (1857) ; Dobson, Monogr. Asiat. Chiropt. p. 160 (1876).
Miniopterus schreibersii, e¢ blepotis, et tibialis, Tomes, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 126.
Muzzle rather short, glandular prominences well developed, increasing the width of the face; margin of the eye prominent; a deep horizontal groove on the side of the face parallel to the, mouth, below the eye; ears much shorter than the head; the inner margin of the ear very convex forwards, projecting in front of the eye, then curving almost horizontally backwards to the tip, the position of which is determined only by a slight flattening of the upper third of the outer margin; outer margin straight above, emarginate opposite the base of the tragus, and terminating rather abruptly in a moderately deep square-ended lobe close to the angle of the mouth. Tragus rather more than twice as long as broad, maintaining the the same breadth upwards, and obtusely rounded off above; the inner margin slightly concave above, the outer margin correspondingly convex in its upper third, and straight in its lower two thirds, parallel to the inner margin; above the base a slight convexity appears in most specimens, but no indication of a distinct lobule, as in Vesperugo.