NOTES ON THE AMERICAN BATS OF THE GENUS 



TADARIDA 



By H. Harold Shamel 



Of the Division of Mammals, United States National Museum 



The bats of the genus Tadarida ^ were formerly known as Nyctino- 

 mus. The American forms fall into two groups, one of which was 

 named Nydinomops in 1902 by Miller,^ who later found that the 

 characters which divide the American species into two groups do not 

 so divide the genus as a whole, when its Old World members are 

 taken into account. The name Nydinomops has therefore been 

 placed in synonymy.^ 



The genus Tadarida belongs to the group of bats known as free 

 tail bats, because the tail extends for some distance beyond the edge 

 of the interfemoral membrane. Members of this genus are readily 

 distinguished, externally, from all other American members of the 

 family Molossidae, to which it belongs, by the deep vertical grooves 

 or wrinkles on the upper Up; all the other American genera have 

 smooth upper lips. According to Oldfield Thomas * the primary 

 features to be considered in the separation of the skulls of this genus 

 from the skulls of nearly related genera are as follows: First, the 

 definite Z shaped form of the last upper molar (m^) ; second the separa- 

 tion of the premaxillae between the upper incisors. 



The material examined gives a very satisfactory survey of the 

 genus, so far as its American forms are concerned, except that suf- 

 ficient specimens of T. macrotis, T. femorosacca, and T. aurispinosa 

 have not been at hand to definitely settle their status. Many more 

 specimens of T. macrotis are needed both from North America and 

 South America, and good skulls from the West Indies, before one can 

 decide how many of the names applied to this large Tadarida desig- 

 nate valid local forms. Adult skins of T. jemorosacca are needed to 

 determine whether the apparent difference in color between this 

 form and its South American ally, T. laticaudata, is as great as it 

 appears. Specimens are needed from eastern Brazil to decide the 



• See Lyon, Proc. Biol. See. Washington, vol. 27, pp. 217-218, Oct. 31, 1914. 

 > Miller, Twenty new American bats, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 393, Sept. 12, 1902. 

 ' Miller, Families and Genera of Bats, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 57, pp. 251-253, June 29, 1907. 

 ' Thomas, Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 90-91, Apr. 21, 1913. 



No. 2862.— Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vou. 78. Art. 19. 



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