348 YESPERTILIONID^. 



Range. Generally distributed throughout the Eastern Hemisphere 

 on both sides of the equator, not extending, however, into the 

 colder regions of the temperate zones. 



The species of this genus are so very closely allied that almost 

 the only differences noticeable are size, relative lengths of parts, and 

 distribution of the fur. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



a. No lobule or projection above the base of 

 the outer margin of the tragus. 

 a'. Interfemoral membrane nearly naked. ... \. M. schreihersii, p. 348. 

 h'. Half the interfemoral membrane clothed, 

 a". Wing-membrane external to the tibiae 



naked ; muzzle longer 2. M. australis, p. 351. 



b". Wing-membrane with a band of fur ex- 

 tending from the elbow to the ankle ; 



muzzle shorter 3. 3f. scotinus, p. 351. 



h. A distinct triangular projection above the 



base of the outer margin of the tragus .... A. M. tristis, p. 352. 



1. Minioptenis schreihersii. 



Vespertilio sch.v&i}oe,ysn, Natter er, in Kukl,Deutsc7i. Flederin. Wetterau. 



Ann. iv. p. 41 (1819) ; Desmarest, Mammalogie, p. 138 (1820) ; 



Temminck, Monogr. Mammal, ii. p. 174 (1835-41). 

 Vespertilio natalensis, Smith, S. African QuaH. Journ. 1831. 

 Vespertilio fuliginosa, Hodgson, Journ. Asiat. Soc. iv. p. 700 (1835). 

 Mimopterus ursinii, Bonaparte, Fauna Italica (1837). 

 Vespertilio orsinii, et blepotis, et dasythrix, Temminck, I. c. pp. 179, 



212, 268 (1835-41). 

 Trilatitus blepotis, Gray, Ann. ^ Mag. Nat. Hist. 1842, p. 258. 

 Vespertilio eschscholtzii, Waterhouse, P. Z. S. 1845, p. 121. 

 Mimopterus schreihersii, Kegs, et Bias. Wirbelth. Bur op. p. 44 ; 



Blasius, Fauna DeutscM. p. 46, figs. 28, 29 (head and ear) (1857) ; 



Dobson, Monogr. Asiat. CAiropt. p. 160 (1876). 

 Miniopterus schreihersii, et blepotis, et tibialis, Tomes, P. Z. S. 1858, 



p. 126. 



Muzzle rather short, glandular prominences well developed, in- 

 creasing the width of the face ; margin of the eye prominent ; a 

 deep horizontal groove on the side of the face parallel to the. mouth, 

 below the eye ; ears much shorter than the head ; the inner margin 

 of the ear very convex forwards, projecting in front of the eye, then 

 curving almost horizontally backwards to the tip, the position of 

 which is determined only by a slight flattening of the upper third of 

 the outer margin ; outer margin straight above, emarginate opposite 

 the base of the tragus, and terminating rather abruptly in a mode- 

 rately deep square-ended lobe close to the angle of the mouth. 

 Tragus rather more than twice as long as broad, maintaining the 

 the same breadth upwards, and obtusely rounded off above ; the 

 inner margin slightly concave above, the outer margin correspondingly 

 convex in its upper third, and straight in its lower two thirds, 

 parallel to the inner margin ; above the base a slight convexity 

 appears in most specimens, but no indication of a distinct lobule, as 

 in Vesperuf/o. 



