24 



rTEKOPODID^. 



2. Pteropus rubricoUis. 



Pteropus mbi'icollis, Geoffroy, Ann. du Mwneum, xv. p. 93(1810); 

 Temmiiick, Monogr. Mammal, i. p. 183 (1827) ; Peters, MB. Akad. 

 Bed. 1867, p. 323. 



Muzzle narrow and conical ; ears very short, triangular, obtusely 

 pointed, quite concealed by the long fur covering the head; ear- 

 conch thickly clothed on both surfaces with rather long hairs, which 

 extend to the tip. Interfemoral membrane very narrow, concealed 

 by the long soft fur above and beneath. 



Fur everywhere very long and dense, and remarkably soft, on the 

 back erect as on the neck, extending outwards thickly upon the 

 humerus and fleshy part of the forearm, and in a narrow line along 

 the distal half of the forearm almost as far as the carpus, also upon 

 the wing-membrane as far as a line drawn from the elbow to the 

 ankle (when the legs are abducted), and upon the legs to the tarsus ; 

 beneath, the wing-membrane is similarly but not so thickly covered, 

 and the f nr on the legs extends almost as far as the ankles. 



Face and head and chin beneath dark brown, the extremities of 

 most of the hairs greyish or shining ; a perfect broad coUar of light 

 yellowish fur surrounds the neck, reddish yellow on the nape and 

 shoulders, buff or pale yellow beneath ; back dark brown, many of 

 the hairs with shining extremities, as on the face ; on the legs with 

 an olive tinge ; lower part of chest and abdomen dark brown, inter- 

 mixed with a few long shining hairs. In young individuals the 

 coUar is not well marked, being generally similar in colour to the 

 fur of the head, but paler than that of the back. 



Upper incisors rather short, obtusely conical ; lower inner incisors 

 separated, half the size of the oiiter incisors ; first upper premolar 

 deciduous ; premolars and molars small and narrow, with indistinct 

 internal cusps, and no basal ridges or projections. 



Length, head and body about 6", head l"-9, ear 0"-45, forearm 

 3"-7, thumb l"-4, second finger 2"-8 ; third finger— metacarp. 2"-7, 

 1st ph. l"-9, 2nd ph. 2"-7 ; fifth finger— metacarp. 2"-9, 1st ph. 

 l"-25, 2nd ph. 1"-1 ; tibia l"-5, foot l"-25. 



A specimen in the collection of the Paris Museum has the forearm 

 3"-9. 



Hah. Bourbon, Mauritius. Although associated in these islands 

 with Pt. vulgaris it has not been found in Madagascar, which the 

 latter species also inhabits (see P. Z. S. 1875, p. 63). M. Grandidier 

 mentioned to the writer that he had never seen Pt. rubricoUis during 

 his travels in that island. 



This species is at once distinguished by its remarkably short ears, 

 which are densely clothed with long hairs, and wholly concealed by 

 the long fui' of the head ; also by the extreme softness of the fur 

 covering the bovly and extending upon the legs. 



a, b. ad. sks. Mauritius. II. Whitelv, Esq. [P.]. 



''• ad. sk. ? Maiu-itius. J. Gould, fesq. rp.T 



d. ad. sk. 



^- ad. sk. Leyden Mus. 



/, g. ad. sJis. Pmchased. 



