iX INXEKKELATIONS OF GENEliA. 



con:>ideiaLly less than the breadtli of the rostrum across the lachrymal 

 foramina ; parallels or close approximations are found only in 

 certain genera of the Epomophorine section (Nanonyctens branch 

 and MkfojiUropus) and in some species of Bobsonia : (2) the facial 

 axis of the skull is in all genera (excejtt Myomjcteris and Sjjhcerius) 

 only very slightly deflected ; a similar inconspicuous deflection of 

 the face is seen in tlie majority of E])omojihori, whereas in the 

 llousettiue and Macroglossine sections the lace is always somewhat, 

 and often much, moi'e deflected : (3) in Myumjcteris the lust molar 

 lielow and above (m^ and m") are reduced almost to rudiments, in 

 Balioni/cteris m^ is lost, in all other genera both m., and m", reducing 

 the cheek-tooth formula from the typical ilegachiropteraii J. to -, a 

 formula very rarely found outside this section of Fruit-bnts (it 

 occurs in one species of Sifconycteris, and in Notoptcris, but in the 

 latter case owing not to the loss of m^ and m- but of p' and p,) : 

 (4) only Mijonyderishaa preserved the Rousettine aspect of the soft 

 palate, in all other genera (in so far as the palate-ridges arekno«n) 

 the surface structure of the soft palate is remarkably uniform, the 

 ridges being prominent and crowded ; an exactly similar aspect of 

 the palate is not found outside this section : (5) in all genera 

 (except j\Ji/oni/cteris and Sphcericis) the odontoid papllte on the 

 inner side of the lips are more numerous, larger, and more crowded 

 than in any other section. 



There is a marked tendency in this section to — (1) a siipjiression 

 of the inner pair of lower incisors (i^, which if present is always 

 distinctly smaller than i ) combined with a reduction of the outer 



•2 Jl -1 -2 



pair of upper incisors (i") ; the incisor formula . — occurs iu 



a few other genera {Styloctenium, Ncsonycteris, Notoptens), but 

 generally without a conspicuous reduction of i': (2) a develoj)ment 

 of surface cusps in p^ and m^ [Oytwpterus, Ptenoilnrus, and Dyaco- 

 pterus, but not in the related Meyarops ; in Thoopterus, but not in 

 the related Fentlutor) ; a similar tendency is shown only bj' 

 Bobsonia and Harpyionycteris : (3) to a disappearance of the post- 

 orbital foramen (present and well developed in Myonycter'is, Cyno- 

 pterus, Ptcnochirus, and Meyarops ; rudimentary in Byacopterus ; 

 absent in Balionycteris, Chironax, 2'hoopteriis, PentJietor, Sj'hcerias, 

 and usually in Nyctimene) ; the foramina are present and well- 

 developed in all other Megachiroptera witliout exception: (4) to a 

 shortening or complete suppression of the tail. 



lixcept for Myonytteris, which is Ethiopian (West African), the 

 section is confined to the Oriental region and Austro-Malaya, one 

 genus [Syctimene) extending from the latter subregion to Australia. 



The question whether this section, so far as our present know- 

 ledge of the genera goes, is perfectly homogeneous, i. c. includes 

 only genera which are more closely related to each other than to 

 any genus outside the group, must, in the opinion of the writer, be 

 answered in the affirmative, but it is quite possible that some 

 systematists would be inclined to consider the status of Myonyctcris 



