Fig. 19. Head of False 
Vampire, Megaderma 
spasma. 
Descriptions of East Asiatic Mammals 101 
Indian islands, and Australia. Though mainly insect-eaters, 
some of the species will kill and eat other kinds of Bats, small 
birds, mice, frogs, and even fish. They are called False Vampires 
because, though strongly carnivorous, their teeth and gullets are 
not specialized for feeding on blood 
as are the much smaller True Vam- 
pires of the New World tropics. 
The two genera, Megaderma and 
Lyroderma, which are perhaps only 
subgenera, differ from each other by 
relatively insignificant characters. Ly- 
roderma is larger and has the noseleaf 
flat at the top ; Megaderma is smaller 
and has the noseleaf pointed at the 
top. 
The Malay False Vampire, genus 
Megaderma, occurs from Ceylon and India through Burma to 
Indo-China and the Malay Peninsula and is present also on a 
number of the islands south of eastern Asia. It is represented in 
our region by the races : M. spasma ma jus of Chindwin Valley, 
Burma, M. s. minus of Cambodia, and M. s. medius of the 
Malay Peninsula. 
The single species, Megaderma spasma, is colored smoky 
bluish gray on the back, brownish gray on the underparts. The 
membranes and ears are blackish gray except the extreme tip 
of each wing along the third finger, which is white. The length 
of the head and body is about 3 inches, of the forearm 2 to 2% 
inches. 
The Lyrate False Vampire, Lyroderma lyra, was first dis- 
covered in the Province of Fukien, China, by the British nat- 
uralist Swinhoe. It also occurs through most of India. The color 
is gray-brown above, whitish gray below. The length of the head 
and body amounts to 3% inches, of the forearm 2% to 2% 
inches. 
