344 EMBALLONUBIDjE. 



membrane and appearing upon its upper surface, or else produced 

 far beyond its posterior margin. 



The number of teeth varies. The muzzle is usually obliquely 

 truncated, and projects more or less beyond the lower lip. 



This family, which is generally distributed throughout the 

 tropical and subtropical regions of the world, is represented in 

 India, Ceylon, and Burma by the following four genera, classed 

 in two subfamilies : 



I. Tail emerging from the upper surface of the 



interfemoral membrane, legs long, fibulae 



very slender ; upper incisors weak Emballonurincs. 



A. Tail shorter than interfemoral membrane ; 



index finger formed by metacarpal alone. 



a. Incisors ^jp upper incisors persistent . . EMBALLONUBA. 



b. Incisors -^, upper incisors deciduous . . TAPHOZOTJS. 



B. Tail very slender, much longer than short 



interfemoral membrane ; index finger 

 with a metacarpal bone and two pha- 

 langes RHINOPOMA. 



II. Tail thicker than the thigh and produced 



far beyond the interfemoral membrane, 

 which it leaves at posterior margin ; legs 

 short and stout ; upper incisors strong .... Molossinat. 

 A. Upper lip much wrinkled vertically .... NYCTINOMUS. 



Subfamily EMBALLONURIN.E. 



Genus EMBALLONURA, Ternm. (1838). 



Ears arising separately from the sides of the forehead; the 

 outer margin of the ear-conch terminating below the eye and 

 behind the angle of the mouth ; tragus longer than broad. Fore- 

 head flat, not concave. Apertures of the nostrils circular or elliptical, 

 close together at the extremity of the conical muzzle. Tail per- 

 forating the large interfemoral membrane about its centre and the 

 tip appearing free on the upper surface ; the posterior free 

 margin of the membrane supported by long calcanea. 



Dentition : i. 2 -f, c. i=J, pm. g, m. g. Upper incisors in 

 pairs, separated from the canines and from each other. 



This genus is entirely oceanic, ranging from Madagascar to the 

 islands of Polynesia; no species has yet been found on the 

 continent of Asia or in Australia, but one has been met witb in 

 the Mergui Archipelago. 



