INTEODXrCTION. XXXUi 



genus Megaderma are more closely related to each other than to the 

 Oriental species. The distribution of Nycteris is remarkable : six 

 species are limited to the Ethiopian Eegion, the seventh is found in 

 Java, and differs from aU the rest in the large size of the second 

 lower premolar. 



The general distribution of the Vesper tilionidoe has been referred 

 to above. Of the sixteen genera, five (Antrozous, Atcilapha, Nycti- 

 cejus, Natalus, and TMjroptera) are peculiar to America, but these 

 represent nine species only. Nyctopliilus and Cludinolohus (subgen.) 

 are limited to the Australian Region; Synotus, Otonycteris, and 

 Plecotus (subgen.) to the Palaearctic. A second species of Plecotus 

 (the type of a weU-defined subgenus Oorinorhinus) is found in the 

 Nearctio Region only. Of the fifty species of Vesperugo, eleven 

 only inhabit the New World. Three species are especially remark- 

 able for their wide distribution. Vesperugo serotinus extends 

 throughout the Palaearctic, Ethiopian, and Oriental Regions, and 

 also into the Nearctic and Neotropical Regions of the New World. 

 Specimens of this species from Central America (see p. 193) are not 

 distinguishable from European examples. Vesperugo abramus is 

 recorded from all the zoological regions of the Eastern Hemisphere, 

 and I have seen a specimen said to be from the Straits of Juan da 

 Puca, Vancouver's Island, which I believe must be referred to this 

 species. Miniopterus schreibersii is widely distributed throughout 

 aU the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere ; adult specimens 

 from Europe, South Africa, and Australia are not distinguishable. 



Of the fourteen genera recognised, half (viz. Furia, AmorpTio- 

 cheilus, Rhynchonycteris, Saccopteryx, Diclidurus, Noetilio, and 

 Molossus) are peculiar to the Neotropical Region. Of the remaining 

 half, Mystacina is limited to New Zealand, Coleura to the Ethiopian 

 Region, Rhinopoma to Africa and India ; Taphozous is represented 

 in all the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere ; Emhallonura 

 appears to be specially an insular genus, as the species extend 

 from Madagascar to the Malay Archipelago, and throughout the 

 larger islands of the Polynesian Subregion, though they have not 

 been found in any of the adjacent continents ; while the species of 

 Nyctinomus are distributed throughout the tropical and warmer parts 

 of the temperate zones of both Hemispheres, except New Zealand and 

 Polynesia. 



The Neotropical genera of this family are, on the whole, more 

 closely related to each other than to any of the Old- World genera ; 

 nevertheless there are certain peculiar forms of limited distribution 



