vespertilionin.e 165 



Family VESPERTILIONID^. 



1821. Ves2yeiiilio)>idui Gray, London Med. Repos., xv, p. 299, April 1, 1821 



(part). 

 1857. ^^rsjicrtiliones Blasius, Saugetliiere Deutscblands, p. 37. 

 1878. Ycspertilionidx Dobson, Catal. Chiropt. Brit. Mus., p. 167 (except 



the genera Natalus and Thyroptcra). 

 1907. Vcspcrfilionidx ^liller, Families and Genera of Bats, p. 195, June 29, 



1907. 



(jreiH/raphical distribution. — Eastern and western hemispheres 

 to the limits of tree growth ; in the Atlantic to the Azores, and 

 in the Pacific to the Galapagos and Hawaiian Islands from 

 America, and to Australia, New Zealand and Samoa from Asia. 



GJiaracters. — Ear with tragus ; muzzle without distinct leaf- 

 like outgrowths ; skull with premaxillaries represented bv nasal 

 branches only, the two bones very early fused with surrounding 

 parts ; median length of palate greater than least distance between 

 tooth-rows ; auditoiy bulla not emarginated on inner side ; shoidder 

 girdle normal, without fusion of its elements ; secondary 

 articulation of humerus w^ith scapula better developed than in 

 the RJiinoJopliidse ; tibula very slender, not adding appreciably to 

 strength of leg ; foot normal, the toes slender ; tail not project- 

 ing conspicuously beyond membrane. 



Remarhs. — This family is the most widely distributed grouj.) 

 of bats as well as one of the richest in genera and species. Forty- 

 one genera are at present known, eight of which occur in 

 Europe.* 



Sub-Family VESPERTILIONINiE. 



1878. Yi'spcrtiliones Dobson, Catal. Chiropt. Brit. Mus., p. 168 (except 



genera Kcrivoula and Harpiocephalus) . 

 1907. Vcspertilioniiix Miller, Families and Grenera of Bats, p. 197, June 29, 



1907. 



Gi'ograpliical distribution. — Same as that of the family 

 Vespet-tilionidse. 



Characters. — Sternum slender, its entire length considerably 

 more than twice greatest width of presternum ; median lobe 

 very much smaller than body of presternum ; six ribs connected 

 with sternum ; seventh cervical vertebra not fused with first 



* The American Nycteris cinerea has been recorded (under the name 

 Vespertilio pruinosus) from South Ronaldshay, Orkney Islands, but the 

 occurrence seems open to question (see Wolley, The Zoologist, vii, p. 2343, 

 1849; VIII, pp. 2095-96, 2813-14, 1850; Barrett-Hamilton, Hist. Brit. 

 Mamm., i, pp. 222-224, March, 1911). 



A specimen of another North American member of this genus 

 {N. horealis), bearing the label: " Yilleveque (Maine & Loire), 8. 1. 89," is 

 figured by Trouessart in Bull. Soc. Zool. de France, xxx, p. 152, 1905. 

 This is copied, with change of locality from Maryland to France, from a 

 figure published in Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 39, pt. N, 1899 and 1901. 

 Though intended merely as a guide in preparing specimens, Dr. Trouessart's 

 publication might be misinterpreted as a French record of the species. 



