i>:Tnr.RELATio>'s oi GI:^•EK.^. 



Iv 



Micropteropus (one species : Ethiopian) has jn-obabl) origi- 

 nated from a type related to, but riiore primitive than, tiie living 

 species of Epomojjhoriis (wiliunit the lengthening and narrowing of 

 the rostrum characteristic of these). As in Ejiomophorus the post- 

 dental palate is distinctly depressed posteriorly, with raised palation 

 rim ; the palate-ridges are thick and prominent, but separated by a 

 deep and broad groove along the median line of the palate (lig. iJ'J, 

 p. 55G); the dental formula as in the majority of Epomophori ([>', 

 m% and m^ lost) ; but the rostrum is as short and heavy as in 

 Ci/nopterus, the interdental palate broad posteriorly, and the post- 

 dental palate abruptly narrowed behind the anterior root of the 

 zygomatic arches (fig. 38, p. 555). 



The eight genera reviewed above (Plcrotcs, Epomops, Ihjpsi- 

 (jnathiis, JVanoni/cieris, Scotonijcte'ris, Caslinjcteris, Epohiopliorus, and 

 Micropteropus) constitute the Epomophorine section of Eruit-bats. 

 The principal differential characters, as compared with the llouset- 

 tine section, may be briefly summed up as follows : — Dentition on 

 the whole weak, p\ m'-^, and m^ lost in all genera except Plerotes, 

 which has retained p' and m^ in a rudimentary condition ; molar 

 structure perfectly simple, except for the nearly total degeneration 

 of all surface structure in Plerotes and the splitting of some of the 

 ridges in Ihipsignutlins ; number of incisors unmodified in all genera 

 (i — "'), except for the deciduousness of i" in Epomops\ facial axis 

 only very little deflected against the basicranial axis (except in 

 Plerotes) ; brain-case distinctly flattened posteriorly (the same 

 ]>eculiarity is, however, seen in one type of the Rouscttine section, 

 Lissoni/cteris) ; form of postdental jjalate highly variable (in the 

 whole series of Megachiro])tera this is the only section that shows 

 any great variation in this portion of the skull) ; palate-ridges 

 simple only in Plerotes, in all other genera more or less highly 

 specialized (the only section of Megachiroptera showing any great 

 modification of the surface structure of the soft palate, in fact the 

 only one in which every genus may be identified with certainty only 

 by an examination of the palate-ridges) ; tail eitlier reduced to an 

 inconspicuous rudiment, more easily delectable by the touch than by 

 the eye, and not connected with the interfemoral, or absent ; small 

 tufts of white hair present at anterior and posterior bases of the ear- 

 conch in all genera, except Scotoni/cteris ; secondary sexual charac- 

 ters often unusually highly developed : males with shoulder pouches 

 and erectile light-coloured" shoulder tufts (" epaulettes '' ; exception : 

 ]/;/psignathus), sometimes with pharyngeal sacs (Epomops, Ihipsi- 

 i/iiathits, EpomnphorHs). and not infrequently averaging considerably 

 larger than females (Epomops, IJifpsigna'tJms, several species of 

 Epomophorvs). The range of the section is strictly confined to the 

 Ethioj)ian region. Only Epomophorus is distributed over nearly the 

 whole of this region ; "the other seven genera are inhabitants of 

 the " West African Province " (approximately synonymous with 

 the Great West African Eorest Tract), from the Guinea Coast east 



