GEOaRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. Ixxxix 



Bismarck Arddpelago. — 7 genera, 8 species. Four (or, if 

 Plerop us Jieohibc miens is distinguishable from Ft. papuanus, five) 

 forms are peculiar. Naturally the fauna is chiefiy influenced by 

 that of the neighbouring New Guinea ; the genera are the same, 

 and of tlie species and subspecies liousetlus hracluiotis, Macroglossus 

 Inyochilus nanv.s, Melomicteris melutiops., and (probably) I'leropns 

 ntohihemicus are direct invaders, Niictiinene major and Syconycteris 

 crassd finschi only slightly altered iudigenous representatives of 

 JS'ew (iuinean forms. But at the same time there seems to be a 

 distinct Moluccau (non-Papuan) element, represented by Pteropus 

 cupistratus and JJobsonia pnedairi.v, both of which, though well- 

 diHerentiated indigenous species, have their closest relatives in the 

 Gilolo and Amboiua groups, but (so far as known) none in New 

 Guinea. 



Sohinon Islands. — 7 genera, 16 species. Whether the genera 

 are compared with those of New Guinea or with those of the 

 Bismarck Archipelago, the result is the same : Syconycieris is 

 absent, Mdonyctcris is replaced by the closelj' related Nesonycteris, 

 and Fteralopea- is added, otherwise there is no change. But the 

 amount of autochtlionous forms is enormous, all beiug peculiar, except 

 lionsettus hracliyoiis, and of the seven genera two (with altogether 

 three species) are jjeculiar, viz. those just referred to, Fteralope.c 

 and Nesonycteris. The sixteen species may be classed according 

 to their probable faunistic and natural athnities as follows : — 

 (1) Direct invader from west, Ilouseitns hracJn/olis, ranging from 

 Amboina, through New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, to 

 these islands : (2) Indigenous representatives of New Guinean types, 

 three, viz. Nyctimene scitalus, most closely allied to N.geminusivom. 

 New Guinea and N, major from the Bismarck Archipelago ; Macro- 

 f/losstis layochilus uiicrotus, the most closely allied races of which are 

 found in tlie Bismarck Archipelago and New Guinea ; Nesonycteris 

 u'oodfordi, as mentioned above the Solomon Islands representative 

 of Melonycteris mr.lanops from New Guinea and the Bismarck Archi- 

 pelago : (3) Indigenous species having their closest known relatives 

 in the Moluccas only or both in the Moluccas and Bismarck Archi- 

 pelago, but apparently none in New Guinea (compare remarks on the 

 Moluccan element in the fauna of fclie Bismarck Archipelago) ; here 

 belong, first, five species of Fteropus, viz. Ft. grandis, laveUanvs, 

 rnbianus, rayneri, and coyuaius, all representatives of the Ft. ray- 

 neri group, the only other known species of which inhabits the 

 Amboina group ; second, the two species of Dohsonia, D. inermis 

 and MfSOT, representing a group of the genus inhabiting the Amboina 

 grou]), Gilolo group, and Bismarck Archipelago, but not known to 

 occur on the continent of New Guinea : (4) Indigenous species 

 having their closest relatives in Australia, three, viz. Fteropus 

 tvoodfordi, a species strikingly similar in all essential characters to 

 the peculiar Australian Ft. scapulalu.t, only much smaller; Fteropus 

 culoHus and ^olomonis. two species of the Ft. hj/ponielanus group 

 and both perhaps most closely related to the Australian Ft. brmineusi 



