On new Mcmmals from the Solomon Islands. 155 



XVIII. — Diagnoses of six new Mammals from the Solomon 

 Islands. By Oldfield Thomas. 



The following new Mammals were obtained by Mr. C. M. 

 Woodford at Aola, Guadalcanar, during his second visit to 

 the Solomon Islands in the course of the past year. 



Pteralopex, g. n. 



Allied to Pteropus^ but remarkable for the extraordinary 

 cuspidate characters of its teeth, and especially of the upper 

 canines, whose main cusp is bifid and whose postero-internal 

 basal ledge supports two more sharp conical cusps, the whole 

 tooth being therefore quadricuspid. Lower incisors very dis- 

 pro])ortionate in size. Premolars and molars cuspidate, not 

 longitudinally grooved. Orbits complete behind, their plane 

 directed more upwards than in Pieropus. Wings arising 

 from the centre of the back, and attached to between the 

 bases of the first and second toes. 



Pteralopex atrala^ sp. n. 



Size large, about equal to that of Pt. Keraudrenii. 



Fur thick and woolly. Ears short, rounded, scarcely pro- 

 jecting beyond the fur, thinly covered with hair. Interfemoral 

 membrane narrow in the centre, more or less concealed by the 

 fur. Colour wholly deep black everywhere, except that the 

 wing-membranes are irregularly mottled with white on their 

 under surface. 



Upper incisors very large, each with a prominent posterior 

 ledge, and the outer ones with a secondary cusp behind. 

 Upper canines very thick, multicuspid as above described, 

 the posterior external cusp about two thirds the height of the 

 anterior. First premolar minute, persistent ; other premolars 

 and molars each with a prominent cingulum and two pointed 

 central cusps. 



Lower inner incisors minute, outer ones disproportionally 

 large, not less than about twenty times the bulk of the inner, 

 and separated from one another by a distance barely one third 

 of their transverse or one fourth of their longitudinal dia- 

 meters. Canines small and low, scarcely as high as the second 

 premolar. First premolar large, quite filling up the space 

 between the canine and second premolar. Third premolar and 

 first molar each with four cusps, two high antero-external, one 

 antero-internal, and one low postero-external. Posterior 

 molars both above and below, first lower premolars, and both 



