OCR Text |
Show 554 MR. G. E. DOBSON ON THE GENUS TAPHOZOUS. [Nov. 2, from the tibiae. Backs of toes with long hairs almost as long as in the species of Molossi. Fur covering the body very short, white at the base, the extremities dark-brown. In front the fur of the head does not extend beyond the frontal depression, and the muzzle is nearly naked ; the ear-conch has a few fine hairs on its inner side only, tragus naked. The fur of the back is limited laterally and posteriorly by a well-defined line beyond which the finest hair does not pass; it does not extend upon the wing or interfemoral membranes, and the humerus, forearm, and antebrachial membranes are quite naked ; posteriorly the terminal line of hair is separated from tbe point of exit of the tail by a considerable distance; beneath, the throat is nearly naked ; the wing-membrane is covered as far as a line drawn from the midddle of the humerus towards the pubis, and a band of fine hairs extends outwards posterior to the forearm to the carpus ; the lower part of the abdomen, the legs, and the interfemoral membrane are quite naked. In this species large collections of fat surrounding the root of tbe tail and extending between the thighs are found in many specimens, especially in those taken during the hibernating season. This appears to be a provision for sustaining life during the cold season, and would seem to indicate that this is the most northerly species of the genus ; for I have not observed similar deposits of fat in the body of any of the other species, which all inhabit tropical or subtropical regious. Similarly large deposits of fat are found in Bhino-poma alone, which inhabits the same countries with this Bat. Length (of an adult ? ) : head and body 3"*7 ; tail 1"*6 ; ear 0"*85, tragus 0"*25 ; forearm 2"*95 ; thumb 0"*45 ; second finger-metacarp. 2"*55, 1st ph. 1"*1, 2nd ph. 1"*2; fourth finger 2"*8; tibia 1"*2; foot and claws 0"*6. Hab. North-Eastern Africa (Egypt, Nubia); Asia Minor (Palestine). Type in the collection of the Frankfort Museum. 7a. TAPHOZOUS NUDIVENTRIS, subsp. KACHHENSIS. Taphozous kachhensis, Dobson, Journ. Asist. Soc. Beng. 1872, p. 221. Very similar to T. nudiventris in general form and in the distribution of the fur, but distinguished by the absence of the gular sac in both male and female; in the male the usual position of the sac is indicated by a small semicircular fold of skin and nakedness of the integument; in the female the surface is smooth. The measurements are also slightly different; but the general resemblance to T. nudiventris is so close that I hesitate to class it as a distinct species. Length (of an adult $ ) : head and body 3"*6 ; tail 1""25; ear 0"*9, tragus 0"*25; forearm 2"*95; thumb 0''*45 ; second finger-metacarp. 2"*7, 1st ph. ]"•!, 2nd ph. 1"*3; fourth finger 2"*7; tibia 1"*1 ; foot and claws 0"*65. Hab. Kachh, N. W . India. Type in the collection of the Indian Museum, Calcutta. |