SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 49 .^=^#51^ Fig. 22 — Tube-nosed Fruit Bat extends down the back. Tube-nosed fruit bats are found from Celebes and Timor to Queensland and Guadalcanal Island in the Solomons.
The Harpy Fruit Bat (Harpionycteris) resembles the flying fox externally. It is chocolate-brown and has cusped cheek-teeth. It is small, the forearm about three and one-fourth inches, the head and body about five and onehalf inches. It is found only in the Philippines and Celebes. Long-tongued Bats (Macroglossus and related forms) have a long, highly protrusible tongue and narrow cheekteeth that hardly show above the gums. They are small, the head and body length four and one-half inches or less, the forearm not more than about two and three-fourths inches. Eonycteris, superficially much like RousettuSi has no claw on the index finger. It reaches from Fig. 23 — Head of Long-tongued Bat, showing protrusile tongue
50 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD Sumatra eastward to Celebes and the Philippines. Melonycteris of the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomons has very dark — almost blackish — underparts ; and Nesonycteris from the same group of islands is cinnamon-colored above and gray beneath.
The Long-tailed Fruit Bat (Notopteris) of the eastern Melanesian Islands, resembles the spinal-winged bat (Dobsonia) both in having no index claw and, as its technical name implies, in having the wing membranes attached along the spine. The tail is about as long as the forearm, which is two to three inches. The small fruit bats (Macroglossus and allies) of this long-tongued group feed on the juices of soft fruits and on the nectar of flowers.
Insectivorous Bats. Suborder Microchiroptera The insect-eating bats are usually of small size, although in a few kinds the length of the head and body reaches five and one-fourth inches and the wing-spread may be about thirty inches. With the exception of the false vampire of Australia, the insectivorous bats of the Pacific islands are small. The cheek-teeth have sharp cusps, arranged in W-patterns when viewed from above, and these teeth are squarish rather than oblong. The index finger has never more than two joints and has no claw; in all except the first family (Rhino pomidce) the index finger is composed of the metacarpal bone only (see fig. 20). The tail is usually about as long as the head and body.
Nine families and more than thirty genera of these bats occur in the region included in this discussion. Many of the genera have so many species that lack of space prevents complete description. The families and well-marked subfamily groups are described beyond. Genera are listed in the index.
species of mammals of the pacific area 51 Mouse-tailed Bats. Family Rhinopomid^ A single species of these long-tailed bats (Rhinopoma) occurs on Sumatra. Relatives live in Egypt and India. They spend the days often in colonies, in caves, old ruins, or large houses. The head and body are about three inches, the tail about two and one-half inches, and the forearm about two and five-eighths inches long. The interfemoral membrane is very short in contrast to the long mouse-like tail, which extends far beyond the membrane. The muzzle has a fleshy nose-leaf and the rather large ears, which reach almost to the nose-leaf when laid forward, are united across the forehead. The index finger has two bony joints in addition to the metacarpal, a unique condition among insectivorous bats.
Sheath-tailed Bats. Family EMBALLONURiDiE In this family {Emhallonura, TaphozouSy and Saccolaimus) the tail projects through the upperside of the interfemoral membrane and ends free. The wing folds in a peculiar manner : the first joint of the third finger folds back on the upperside of the metacarpal (most insectivorous bats have the first joint of the third finger extended in line with the metacarpal when the wing is folded). The nostrils project in front of the mouth, giving the face a sharp angular profile. No member of this group has a nose-leaf. A pouch is frequently present beneath the throat in Saccolaimus.
Most sheath-tailed bats are cave or crevice dwellers, often found in old buildings, but some species in the Indies spend the day in hollow trees. They sometinies feed on fruit in addition to the usual insect diet. Bats of this family vary in size from small to medium; head and body are from one and one-half to three and one-half inches, tail from one-half to one and threeeighths inches, and forearm from one and one-fourth to three and one-fourth inches. They are found in the tropical parts
52 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD B Fig. 24 — A. Tail of Sheath-tailed hat; top view; B. Head of Slit-faced Bat; C. Head of False Vampire Bat; D. Head of Horseshoe Bat; E. Head of Leaf -nosed Bat of both hemispheres ; they extend east to Samoa and Australia, but are not found in New Zealand.
Slit- or Hollow-faced Bats. Family !N'ycterid;e A species of the sole genus (Nycteris) occurs on Borneo, Java, and east to Celebes and Timor; the other species are African. They are characterized by a long tail, included in the interfemoral membrane to the tip ; large ears, longer than the head ; the slit down the front of the face, the edges of which are swollen and into which the nostrils open ; and wings which are large for the size of the body. The length of the head and body is about two and one-half inches ; the tail is slightly longer than this, while the forearm measures approximately one and three-fourths inches.
species of mammals of the pacific area 53 False Vampire Bat. Family Megadermidje One genus (Megaderma) extends from the Malay Peninsula to Java and Borneo, while another {Macroderma) is Australian. Related bats occur in eastern Africa. These bats have no external tail. The ears are much longer than the head and are united by a fold over the forehead. A large nose-leaf is developed. The false vampires feed chiefly on smaller bats, rodents, frogs, fish, and insects. In the Malaysian species the head and body are about three and one-half inches long and the forearm two and one-half inches. Macroderma, the very large Australian false vampire, is colored pale gray, almost whitish. The head and body length reaches five and one-half inches, and the forearm four and three-eighths. It is the largest insectivorous bat of the Pacific region.
Horseshoe Bats. Family Rhinolophid^ The many kinds of horseshoe bats are members of a single genus (Rhinolophus). They are found throughout most of the Old World, north to Japan and east to Australia and New Guinea. The species range in size from small to medium. The head and body are from one and one-half to three and onehalf inches long, the tail three-fourths to two and one-fourth inches, shorter than the extended hind leg, the forearm one and one-half to two and seven-eighths inches. All have a complex nose-leaf, broad and horseshoe-shaped below but ending above in a point. The ears are large, pointed, and somewhat concave on the outer border below the tip. The wings fold only slightly when the bat is resting; they cover most of the body like a cloak.
Leaf-nosed Bats. Family Hipposiderid^ The Leaf -nosed Bats (Hipposideros, AnthopSy Ccelops) are closely related to the horseshoe bats. They differ by the shape
54 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD of the nose-leaf and by the fact that their toes have only two joints beyond the metatarsal — the claw-bearing joint and a single intermediate one. Other Old World bats have three joints in all toes except the first. The nose-leaf is squarish, rounded, or ends above in three points. Few members of this family reach large size : the head and body measure from one and threefourths to three and one-half inches, the tail from three-fourths to two and three-eighths inches, the forearm from one and threeeighths to three and one-half inches. The family ranges throughout the warmer regions of the Old World, east to Australia and the Solomons, and north to the Luchu Islands. Anthops of the Solomons has a nose-leaf like a rosette, covering the face from eye to eye, at the top of which are three domelike structures, their apexes directed forward. It is a rare species.
Typical Bats. Family Vespertilionid^ This large family, containing about half of the species of insectivorous bats in the Pacific region, is difficult to define. The muzzle is simple except in the Murininse which have the nostrils produced into tubes and in the Nyctophilinae which have a small nose-leaf (see below, pp. 59, 60). The ears, arising from the sides of the head, are separate in all species except in the Nyctophilinae. The third finger has only two bony joints beyond the metacarpal and the tail either ends at the posterior edge of the interfemoral membrane or has one vertebral joint projecting beyond it. The one or two incisors on each side of the upper jaw, are widely separated by a gap, the distance between the medial incisors being usually greater than the distance from these teeth to the canines. The Vespertilionidae is the most widely distributed family as well as the largest, being found throughout the world, except for a few mid- Pacific islands and beyond the limits of tree-growth. Five subfamily groups are present in the Pacific and Malayan islands and are distinguished below.
species of mammals of the pacific area 55 Common Bats. Subfamily Vespertilionin^ Fifteen genera and groups of common bats are present in this area. This extremely large and varied group is almost worldwide in distribution; in the Pacific region these bats are found from the Malay Peninsula north to the Kuriles, east to the Samoan Islands, and south to Tasmania and New Zealand. Representatives of an American offshoot of this group occur on the Hawaiian and Galapagos Islands. The wings are normal, the third finger with the proximal joint more than half the length of the end joints. The muzzle has no nose-leaf, nor are the nostrils produced into tubes. The ears arise from the sides of the head and are neither funnel-shaped nor united across the forehead. There are three lower incisors.
The Mouse-eared Bats {Myotis) are the most widespread of the insectivorous group, being found on all continents and adjacent islands as far as the limits of tree-growth, and on the Malaysian and Pacific islands east to Samoa. All of the many species have six cheek-teeth above and below. Most are about the size of the American little brown bats, with head and body about two and one-fourth inches long, the tail a little shorter than this, and the forearm from one and one-eighth to one and one-half inches. Several larger species (forearm about two inches) occur in Sumatra, Java, Celebes, the Philippines, Formosa, and the Luchus. Some of the larger species of Myotis are brightly colored, with reddish or orange and black wings, like the butterfly-like Kerivoula-hats (p. 61). The Long-eared Bat (Plecotus), found in Japan as well as in continental Asia and Europe, is closely related to the longeared, jackass, or lump-nosed bats (^Corynorhinus) of southern and western United States. The long ears may be folded up when the bats are resting. Four cheek-teeth are found above and six below. The head and body of the Japanese form measures about two inches long, the forearm one and one-half inches, the wing-spread about ten inches.
56 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD The Pipistrelles (Pipistrellus) occurring in Eurasia, Africa, and North America are almost as widely dispersed as the mouseeared bats. In the Malay and Pacific areas they are found from the Asiatic continent east to the Solomons and south to Tasmania. They are about the size of Myotis or even smaller, the length of the head and body varying from one and threeeighths to two and three-eighths inches, and the forearm from one to two inches. Several closely related bats, found from Sumatra to Borneo and the Moluccas, have enlarged suckerlike pads at the base of the thumb. These are often considered to belong to a distinct genus (Glischropus), but actually differ little from the small pipistrelles.
The Noctule (Nyctalus), a yellowish brown bat with short, broad ears, is found in the Malaysian islands and also in Japan. It is much like a large pipistrelle, with cheek-teeth five in number above and below. The length of head and body is about three inches, and the forearm measures two inches or a little more. Another Japanese species of this genus, otherwise very similar, is about a fifth larger.
The AustraHan Little Brown Bats (Eptesicus) are relatives of the American big brown bat and the European serotine. They are as small as the smaller pipistrelles : the head and body about one and five-eighths inches and the forearm one and oneeighth to one and one-half inches. The cheek-teeth number four above and five below on each side. This genus is represented by a species on the Malay Peninsula, as well as in A.ustralia, but it is not known from the islands. The Particolored Bat (Vespertilio), which occurs in Japan and Eurasia, is reddish brown above; the whitish tips of the hairs produce a marbled appearance. Below it is cream-colored. It is about the size of the American big brown bat: head and body about three inches, forearm about one and five-eighths inches.
The New Guinea Brown Bat (Philetor) is dark chestnutbrown both above and below, and has black wing membranes.