80 Mammals of Eastern Asia 
well within the temperate zone, this family is best represented 
in the tropics. It occurs in both hemispheres. 
Of the five distinct subfamilies of Vespertilionidse known, 
four occur in southern Asia. They are : Vespertilioninse, con- 
taining the majority of the genera; the Miniopterinse, or Bent- 
winged Bats, with one genus, Miniopteriis, having the fur vel- 
vety dark brown; the Murininae, or Murine Bats, with three 
genera, the upper surface of the tail membrane being densely 
hairy and the nostrils extended sideways as tubes ; and the 
Kerivoulinse, or Funnel-eared Bats, with three genera (two 
outside our area), all tiny Bats with the ears somewhat funnel- 
shaped. 
The last three subfamilies, containing few genera, are spe- 
cialized sharply in a number of respects. The larger subfamily, 
the Vespertilioninse, also contains special types but their affini- 
ties to the parent group are well ascertained. All Vespertilionid 
Bats of Eastern Asia that do not belong to one of the three 
specialized small subfamilies just mentioned must belong to the 
Vespertilioninae. 
SUBFAMILY VESPERTILIONINSE 
A substantial number of the genera belonging to this group 
of Bats can be distinguished only by minute characters needing 
a magnifying glass for their satisfactory study, including the 
number and shape of their teeth. Since it will be impractical in 
this book to go into such details, those Bats are lumped together 
and their names are merely listed, or in special cases outstanding 
characters are mentioned. They comprise the following large list 
of generic groups : the group Myotini, with Myotis, the Mouse- 
eared Bats, one of the least specialized species ; the group Pleco- 
tini, with Plecotus, the Long-eared Bats ; the group Pipistrellini, 
containing many genera of both large and small Bats, such as 
Pipistrellus, the Pipistrelles ; Scotozns; Nyctalus, the Noctules; 
