74 BULLETIN 99, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



PETALU HISPIDA (Schreber). 



1774. Vespertilio hispid us Schreber, Saugth., pi. 56. (Senegal,) 



Specimens. — TMrteen, from the following localities: 

 Sudan: Bor, 8, including 6 in alcohol (Heller). 

 British East Africa: Nairobi, 1 (Mearns); Tana Kiver, 4, in- 

 cluding 3 in alcoliol and 1 skeleton (Chanler). 



PETALIA AURITA Andersen. 



1893. Nycteris hispida True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 16, p. ()0'2. (Not of 



Schreber.) 

 1912. Petalia aurita Andersen, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 10, p. 547. 



(KiUfi, British East Africa; type in British Museum.) 



Specimens. — Two in alcohol, as follows : 



British East Africa: Marsabit Road, 1 (Heller); Tana Kiver, 

 1 (Chanler). 



PETALIA ^THIOPICA .^ITmOPICA (Dobson). 



1878. Nycteris sethiopica Dobson, Cat. Chir. Brit. Mus., p. 165. (Kordofan, 

 Sudan; type in British Museum.) 



Specimens. — Two (one in alcohol) from: 

 Uganda: Gondokoro (Loring). 



PETAUA ^THIOPICA LUTEOLA (Thomas). 



1901. Nycteris sethiopica luteola Thomas, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, vol. 8, 

 p. 30. July. (Kitui, British East Africa; type in British Museum.) 



Specimens. — Tliree, from — 



British East Africa: Mazeras (Heller). 



These specimens are all adult females, taken on December 27. 

 Two were pregnant with one large embryo each. 



For measurements of specimens of the subspecies of Petalia 

 sethiopica see table, page 76. 



True ^ lists four alcohoUc specimens of ''Nycfens thehaica" collected 

 by Dr. W. L. Abbott on Kihmanjaro. These specimens can not 

 now be found, but are doubtless mislaid in the collection. 



There is an unfortunate and wholly avoidable confusion regarding 

 the generic name for the group of bats here called Petalia. Although 

 Mr, Gerrit S. Miller long ago called attention to the fact that 

 Nycteris Geoffroy and Cuvier, 1803, is preoccupied by Nycteris Bork- 

 hausen, 1797, and is properly used only for a genus of American 

 VespertiUonidae,^ some authors insist upon retaining it, contrary to 

 the provisions of the International Code, for the old-world group. 

 Such disregard for estabhshed rules is even encouraged by a member 

 of the International Commission, who in a recent paper uses Nycteris 

 in place of Petalia.^ 



» Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., vol. 15, p. 469, 1892. 



« Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 22, p. 90. April 17, 1909. 



s J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mns. Nat. Hist., vol. 37, pp. 425-427. September 29, 1917. 



