3D2 PTERorus EruLAKirs. 



P. The Ptebopi's macrotjs seoup. 



Species. — Pt. epularius, macroiis, p)oliocejihalui!. 



liange. — Aru I&laiids, New Gmnea, Australia. 



General characters (comi)are fig. 17, p. 394, sknll and dentition 

 of Ft. ejmlarius). — Brain-case more deflected than usual, rostrum 

 of normal length, eyes unusually large, sagittal crest low or 

 undeveloped, coronoid weak, low, and sloping. Dentition weak, 

 cingulum of canines narrow, cheek-teeth peculiarly short, posterior 

 basal ledges practically wanting. Ears long and pointed ; inter- 

 femoral scarcely developed in centre. Length, distribution, and 

 colour of fur and secondary sexual characters varying (see below). 

 iSize moderate or rather large (forearm 121-162 mm.). 



Differentiation of species. — The three species are representatives 

 of two, very closely related types, the one ranging over New 

 Guinea and the Aru Islands, the other confined to Australia (whero 

 it is apparently the commonest and most widely distributed species 

 of the genus). — In Pt. epularius (Aru Islands) and macrotis (New 

 Guinea) the fur is short, closely adpressed on back, tibia naked 

 above, colour blackish above and beneath with strongly contrasting 

 buffy mantle (nearly exactly the aame generalized style of colour as 

 seen in the Pt. mariannus and conspicillatus groups) ; males with 

 glandular neck-tufts. The two species differ from each other only 

 in size. — In Pt. polioceplialus (Australia) the fur is much longer, 

 less closely adpressed, and extending thickly on upperside of tibia 

 to ankle ; all those portions of the pelage which in Pt. epidariits 

 and macrotis are blackish, are in the Australian species so heavily 

 mixed or suffused with a peculiar tinge of olive-bufty as to make 

 the total impression of the colour, in average specimens, olive-buft' 

 more or less distinctly darkened with blackish or brownish ; mantle 

 darker, approximately tawny ; males without glandular neck-tufts ; 

 size rather larger than epularius. Pt. polioceplialus has hitherto 

 been widely separated from Pt. macrotis and epulctrins, owing, no 

 doubt, to its different external appearance ; in all important 

 characters of the skull and dentition it is, however, so completely 

 similar to the two other species included iu this group as to leave 

 no doubt of its true relationships. 



Affinities of group. — The macrotis is probably rather closely 

 allied to the scapidatus group. 



78. Pteropus epularius, Pcnnsinj. 

 Pteropus macrotis (pt.), Dobson, Cat. Chir. B. M. p. 43. 



Pteropus (Epomops ?) epularius, Hcansay, Proc. Linn. Soc, N. S. 



Walen, ii. p. 8 (1878: Katow). 

 Pteropus (Specti'um) epularius, Matschie, Me(/achir. p. 23 flSOO : 



Katow; Yule I.) ; Troucssart, Cat. Manmi., Sup2)l. p. 52 (Katow; 



Yule L). 

 )Spectrum epularium, M((fschie, Krirf/er's lien-Guinea, p. 77 (1899 : 



S. New Guinea"! ; Jenfinl-, Notes Leyd. Mus. xxviii. pp. 1G4, 209 



(1906). 



