OCR Text |
Show 552 MR. G. E. DOBSON ON THE GENUS TAPHOZOUS. [NOV. 2, Temm. Monog. Mammal, ii. p. 289 ; Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. x. p. 974 ; Kelaart, Prodr. Faunae Zeylanicae, p. 12 ; Wagner, Suppl. Schreb. Saugeth. v. p. 688; Horsfield, Catal. Mammal. Mus. E. I. Comp. p. 41 ; Dobson, Proc. Asiat. Soc. Beng. Aug. 1872, p. 153. Taphozous bicolor, Temm. 1. c. p. 290. Taphozous fulvidus et brevicaudus, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. x. p. 975. Taphozous cantori, id. xi. 784. The gular sac is large and well-developed, though not so large as in T. saccolcemus; in the female it is represented by a rudimentary fold of skin and nakedness of the integument in the same situation. Radio-metacarpal pouch moderately developed. Inner margin of ear smooth, not papillate; ears about same size as in T. saccolcemus. Wings from the ankles. The fur of the head extends upon the face slightly in front of the eyes; the muzzle is almost quite naked; the inner side of the ear-conch is rather thickly covered with moderately long, fine hair ; posteriorly the ear is almost naked, but a few fine hairs are ranged along the outer margin ; the tragus is quite naked. On the upper surface the fur of the body extends upon the wing-membrane as far as a line joining the middle of the humerus and femur; posteriorly the interfemoral membrane is covered as far as the point of exit of the tail, along which some long fine hairs extend; the remainder of the interfemoral membrane is clothed with very short, almost invisible fur, which extends along the tibiae to the feet, becoming longer on the terminal phalanges of the toes. Beneath, the fur in front of the gular pouch, under the chin, is very short, and the skin there almost naked ; the antebrachial membrane is covered with longer fur than upon the upper surface; on the wing-membrane the fur of the body extends more densely and further outwards than on the upper surface, being limited by a line joining the distal and middle thirds of the humerus and femur, but a narrow band of hairs extends outwards to the carpus; posteriorly the interfemoral membrane is naked, except at the root of the tail. Fur varying from reddish-brown to black, above and beneath, the bases of the hairs white. Upper incisors small and very slender in some individuals, in the greater number of specimens absent. Length : head and body 3"*1 ; tail 1"*15 ; head 0"*95 ; ear (anteriorly) 0"*8, tragus 0"*25; forearm 2"*45 ; thumb 0"*3; second finger 4"*2; fourth finger 2"*15; tibia 0"*95 ; calcaneum 0"*85; foot and claws 0"*45. Hab. Indian peninsula, Ceylon, Burmah. Abundant about Calcutta and in all the southern parts of the Indian peninsula; not yet recorded from Northern India, nor from the Himalaya. The colour of the fur varies very much. Among a large collection of specimens taken at the same place, one may be found with reddish-brown fur, the others blacker. In all cases, however, the base of the fur is white, and the darker-coloured individuals are generally females. |