PIPISTiJELLUS 



203 



1856. Nannugo Kolenati, Allgom. deutsohe Naturhist. Zeitung, Dresden, 



neue Folge, n, p. 131 (nathusU, pipistrellus, and kuMU). 



1857. Vesperugo Blasius, Saugethiere TJeutschlands, p. 49 (part). 

 1878. Vesperugo Dobson, Oatal. Chiropt. Brit. Mus., p. 183 (part). 



1897. Pipistrellus Miller, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 6th ser., xx, p. 384, 



October, 1897. 

 1899. Euvesperugo Acloque, Faune de France, Mammiferes, p. 35 (part, 



included noctula, leisleri, maurus, kuMii, pipistrellus, and 



abramus). 

 1907. PipistrelVus Miller, Families and Genera of Bats, p. 204, June 29, 



1907. 



Type species. — Vespertilio pipistrellus Schreber. 



Geographical distribution. — Entire mainland of Eastern Hemi- 

 sphere to limits of tree growth, also Malay Archipelago, New- 

 Guinea, Solomon Islands, and northern Australia ; in America 

 from northern United States (except in boreal zone) to southern 

 Mexico. 



Characters. — Like Eptesicus (p. 224), but with 2 — 2 upper 

 premolars ; dental formula : i ||, c t|, pm ^|, « jt| = 34. 



Bemarhs. — The genus Pipistrellus is widely distributed in the 

 warmer portions of the Old World and of North America. 

 About forty species are now known, four of which occur in 

 Europe. Externally these may often be confused with the smaller 

 Myotis, though they may usually be recognized by a certain 

 heaviness of form, and more especially by the shorter ear and 

 less slender tragus. Though often regarded as nearly related to 

 Nyctalus, on account of the similarity of dental formula, this 

 genus is much the more primitive of the two, its members 

 showing no tendency to modify the ordinary vespertilionine wing 

 structure. It is in reality not much more than a sub-genus of 

 Eptesicus (see remarks under the latter), though for the sake of 

 convenience the two groups are best treated as distinct. 



KEY TO THE EUROPEAN SPECIES OF PIPISTRELLUS. 



Anterior upper premolar excessively minute, some- 

 times hidden by the gum, its crown area much 

 less than that of outer incisor ; anterior lower 

 premolar with crown area less than half that 

 of posterior premolar ; greatest width of tragus 

 nearly equal to length of anterior border ; hairs 

 of back usually with noticeably contrasted light 



tips P. savii, p. 219. 



Anterior upper premolar not excessively minute, 

 never hidden by the gum, its crown area about 

 equal to that of outer incisor ; anterior lower 

 premolar with crown area more than half that 

 of posterior premolar ; greatest width of tragus 

 much less than length of anterior border ; hairs 

 of back without noticeably contrasted light tips. 

 Outer upper incisor less than half as high as 



inner ; large upper premolar almost or quite 



in contact with canine, the small premolar 



forced inward from tooth-row and scarcely or 



not visible from outer side P. kuhlii, p. 215. 



