76 



BULLETIN 99, UNllTID STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



series, a small 

 large southern 

 and Wrough- 



Family MEGADERMID^. 



Genus LA VI A Gray. 



1838. Lavia Okay, Mag. Zool. and 

 Bot.,vol.2,p.490. (L./rons.) 



The yellow-winged bat is well 

 represented in the collection by 

 numerous specimens from many 

 localities. Two subspecies are 

 included in the 

 northern and a 

 race. Andereon 

 ton,* recognizing these two sub- 

 species, have placed the name 

 Lavia rex, previously bestowed 

 by Miller on the large East 

 African race, in the synonymy 

 of the West African L. frons, 

 and have described as new the 

 small race from the upper Nile. 

 At the same time they admit that 

 both a small and a large form in- 

 habit West Africa. Until better 

 series of specimens, somewhat 

 comparable to the excellent suite 

 now available from East Africa, 

 are brought together from West 

 and Central Africa, this arbitrary 

 action by Andersen and Wrough- 

 ton seems entirely unjustified. I 

 have here recognized the two East 

 African forms as distinct from the 

 West African races. They occupy 

 definite areas without overlap- 

 ping, whereas the West African 

 forms would appear to range to- 

 gether. If either or both the 

 East African races prove to be 

 identical with West African forms, 

 it would seem reasonable to as- 

 sume that Miller, as "first re- 

 viser, " had restricted the original 



1 Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, vol. 19, pp. 

 13S-140. February, 1907. 



