7io 

 SOME NEW IIAMMALS FROM MESOPOTAMIA. 



BY 



Oldfield Thomas, f.e.s., f.z.s. 



(Published by periiiission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



Among some mammals obtained bj' members of the Mesopo- 

 tamian Expeditionary Force, and submitted to me for determination 

 by the Bombay Natural History Society there are examples of the 

 following five new species. In pursuance of its habitual public- 

 spirited polic}^ the Society has presented all the types to the 

 National Museum. 



1. Eptesicus hingstoni, sp. n. 



A small form of the serotinus group. 



Size decidedly smaller than in the Persian form of Serotine 

 previously determined as turcomanus of Eversmann, with which 

 •inirza, Fil. is probably synonymous. 



General colour " bufF}^ brown," the hairs slaty with dull buffy 

 ends. Undersurface rather lighter, the hairs slaty, tipped with 

 pale drabby or drabby whitish. Inguinal region dull whitish to the 

 liases of the hairs. Membranes and limbs bi'own, the hinder edge 

 of the interfemoral whitish. 



Ears of medium size ; inner basal lolie convex forwards, front 



margin straight, tip narrowly rounded off. Tragus shaped about 



as in E. serotinus. Wings to the bases of the toes. Tail with two 



■ vertebrte exserted. Posterior rump naked; a deposit of fatty 



matter present in this region. 



Skull broad, low, with flattened muzzle and widely expanded 

 zygomata, but in these respects it is less marked than in E. 

 serotinus and turcomanus, more than in the Eg5'ptian E. innesi. 



Incisors as in turcomanus, the outer pair much smaller than the 

 inner, the outer pair standing so that their front edge is on a level 

 with that of the inner. 



Dimensions of the type, measured on skin : — 



Forearm 45 mm. Third finger, metacarpus, 43 ; first phalanx, 

 14-3; second phalanx, 13*5. 



Skull, greatest length, 16-7; condylo-basal length, lG-2 ; z^-go- 

 matic breadth, 12; intertemporal breadth, 4; breadth of braincase, 

 8-2; mastoid breadth, 9-2; front of canines to back of m', 6-3; 

 front of p* to back of m", 4'1 ; breadth across m", 7*7. 



Measures of a spirit specimen (male) : — Head and body, 59 ; 

 tail, 40; forearm, 45; ear, 15-5; tragus on inner edge, 5*5; 

 lower leg and foot (c. u.), 27. 



Habitat. — Mesopotamia. Type from Baghdad, two other speci- 

 mens from Basra. 



