Genus PLECOTUS Geoffroy. 



1816. ? Macrotus Leach, Catal. Spec. Indig. Manim. and Birds Brit. Mus. 

 (Willoughby Society reprint, 1882), p. 1. Nomen nudum : "Euro- 

 pean Longear, Macrotus europxus.'" 



1818. Plecotus Geoffroy, Description de I'figypte, ii, p. 112. For date see 

 Sherborn. Proc. Zool. Soc. Loudon, 1897, p. 288. 



1857. Plecotus Blasius, Saugethiere Deutschlands, p. 38. 



1878. Plecotus Dobson, Catal. Chiropt. Brit. Mus., p. 177 (part). 



1907. Plecotus Miller, Families and Genera of Bats, p. 224, June 29, 1907. 



Type species. — Vespertilio auritus Linnaeus. 



Geographical distribution. — Temperate Europe, Asia and 

 northern Africa. 



Characters. — Dental formula : * ^, c Jfi, pm ||, m || = 36. 

 Skull with large, elongate and rounded brain-case, and slender 

 but normally formed rostrum ; auditory bullae larger than in any 

 other European member of the family, their greatest diameter 

 equal to about three times the distance between them. Ears 

 very large, much longer than head, joined across forehead ; 

 nostrils opening upward, their orifices continued backward by 

 slit-like prolongations, the wart-like outgrowths on muzzle not 

 specially prominent. 



Bemarks. — -The genus Plecotus is at once recognizable among 

 European bats by the very lai'ge ears, joined across forehead. 

 In the only other European genus with 36 teeth {Miniopterus) 

 the ears are unusually short. Seven species are known, one of 

 which occurs in Europe. 



PLECOTUS AURITUS Linnpeus. 



1758. Vespertilio auritus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., i, 10th ed., p. 32 (Sweden). 



1816. ? Macrotus europxus Leach, Catal. Spec. Indig. IMamm. and Birds 

 Brit. Mus. (Willoughby Society reprint, 1882), p. 1. Nomen 

 nudum: " European Longear, Macrotus europeeus.'''' 



1818. Plecotiis auritus Geoffrey, Description de I'Egypte, ii, p. 118. 



1825. Vesperlilio otus Boie, Isis, p. 1206 (Copenhagen, Denmark). 



1826. Vespertilio cornutus Faber, Isis, p. 515 (Jutland, Denmark). 



1827. Plecotits communis Lesson, Man. de Mammal., p. 95 (France). 



1828. P\lecotus'] brevimanus Jenyns, Trans. Linn. Soc, London, xvi, p. 55 



(Grunty Fen, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England). 



1829. Plecotus vulgaris Desmarest, Faune Franpaise, p. 18 (France). 



