5^r 



IIYONTCTERIS. 



Sexual differentiation. — Adult males with a well-defined ruff of 

 unctuous hairs across foreueek. The only female examined is 

 young adult (no ruff). 



Affinities. — In most of its essential characters Myonycteris is 

 intermediate between Itousetlus and Cynoptenis, but nearer the latter 

 genus. Hence it is here classed as the first (most "primitive") 

 genus of the Cynopterine section, though it might with equal right 

 he considered a specialized offshoot of the llousettine braueh 

 showing modifications similar to or approaching those of Cynoptenis. 

 In rhe development and arrangement of the palate-ridges it is 

 similar to llonsettus, but the rostrum is much shorter, though not 

 shortened quite to the same degree as in Cynoptenis ; the orbits 

 are relatively quite as laige as in Cynoptenis, and tlie brain-case 

 scarcely more detiected than in that genus ; those molars, viz. ra , 

 and m^, which have entirely disappeared in Cynoptenis, are reduced 

 to rudiments (on the possible existence of a species of Myonycteris 

 which lias permanently lost m^ and is on the point of losing m^, see 

 footnote, p. 577) ; the nostrils are more prominent than in llousetlus, 

 but rather less so than in Cynoptenis ; and the unctuous hairs on 

 the foreneck of males are quite as conspicuously developed as in 

 Gi/nojjterus. If Myonycteris were known only from a fossil state, 

 it would probably without much hesitation be put down as a 

 '•■ connecting link " between Roiisettus and Cynoptenis. 



Technical names. — Myonycteris was originally described by 

 Matschie (1. c.) as a subgenus oiXantharpyia, including two species, 

 M. torquata and M. anyolensis. The former species, though u,ot 

 known to Matschie from personal inspection, was fixed as type of 

 the " subgenus," but the diagnosis of the subgenus was based on 

 the latter species (angolensis), which however is a Mousettiis. The 

 characters of Myonycteris, as given above, are therefore entirely 

 difierent from those on which it was based by Matschie. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



A. Dentition weak (6gs. 47 A, B, p. 57S) ; 

 outer and inner ridge of p^ completely 

 fused anteriorly (fig. 47 C) ; lower - — -- 

 canines at least as high as pj (fig. 4(>, 

 p. 576) ; 110 sagittal crest ; coronoid 



process narrow (fig. 46) Subgenus Myonycteris. 



a. Median palatal length 16-3-16-8 mm. : 



ni" less reduced, about twice the bulk 



; otp^ . ^ 



•■ «'. Molariform teeth larger; m^ length 



22, breadth l'5-l-6 mm. ; forearm 



' (.-;5-67. (Welle Dist.) 1. M. wroityhtoni, -p. oSO. 



to be very easily overlooked if not searched for, and the ears are clistinctly 

 different in form from tbose of the other four species known. This may be 

 evidence of the existence of a species of Myonycierk which has permanently lost 

 m, and is just on the point of losing m- ; in other words, a species which hiis 

 Tery uf arly the same dental formula ns Cynopterus (013 and m- permanently 



lost). '• »' -^ 'HT- ■Mju, j^:inr-jv{-- a\ .^m w VJKXi vil 



