Vol. X, pp. 113-114 July 22, 1896 



PROCEEDINGS 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



^ 



NOTE ON THE MILK DENTITION OF DESMODUS. 

 BY GERRIT S. MILLER, Jr. 



Some immature specimens of Dcsmodas rdfns, taken l)y Mr. 

 E. W. Nelson, at Etzatlan, Ja- 

 lisco, Mexico, in June, 1892, and 

 now in the collection of the 

 United States Department of 

 Agriculture, retain the greater 

 part of the milk dentition, 

 though it is jDrobable that none 

 are young enough to present a 

 complete set of deciduous mo- 

 lars. The extraordinary special- 

 ization of the teeth of this bat 

 correlated with the animal's 

 strictly sanguivorous habits 

 make any facts relating to the 

 early development of the teeth 

 of special interest. 



In the adult (Fig. 1, e, and 2, c) 



the dental formula is i 15^,' 



1-1 2-2 



c ^5 j>»i TTio' = 20. The milk 



dentition, so far as it can be de- 



2-2 



termined, is as follows: di -^^ 

 ^"^ iTl' '^^'"'' 9I9 ^= 18' 



i-\ 



di2 



Maxillary teeth of Desmodiis 



The largest of the deciduous 

 teeth are the upper incisors i 



(Fig. 1 di 1 and d.\ 2). These cut ''"/"•^. showing milk dentition and gradual 

 ' ' 1 • 1 change in form of permanent teeth from 



the gums some tnne betore the very youngia) toaduit (^) (xs). 



19— Bidt,. Sor. Wash., Vol,. X, 189G 



(113) 



