THE FAMILIES AND GENERA OF BATS. 
45 
of the teeeth with one nearly resembling that of the Megachiroptera. 
But, even if this were not true, in a group of characteristically 
volant animals the chief taxonomic importance must be assigned to 
the development of the wings. 
Family PTEROPIDCE Gray. 
1821. Pteropidce Gray, London Medical Repository, XV, p. 299, April 1, 
1821. 
1827. Pteropina Lesson, Man. de Mammalogie, p. 99. 
1831. Pteropina Bonaparte, Saggio di una distrib. metodica degli Anim. 
Vert., p. 15. 
1838. Pteropodidce Bonaparte, Nuovi Annali delle Scienze Naturali, Bo- 
logna, Anno I, Tomo II, p. 112. 
1838. Pteropina Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot., II, p. 502, December, 1838. 
1854. [ Pteropidce ] “ Pteropides ” Gervais, Hist. Nat. des Mamm., p. 184. 
1865. Pteropi Peters, Monatsber. k. preuss. Akad. Wissensch., Berlin, p. 256. 
1872. Pteropodidce Gill, Arrangement of the Families of Mammals, p. 18. 
1875. Pteropidce Dobson, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 4th ser., XVI, p. 346, 
November, 1875. 
1878. Pteropodidce Dobson, Catal. Ckiropt. Brit. Mus., p. 3. 
1892. Pteropodidce Winge, Jordfundne og nulevende Flagermus (Chiroptera) 
fra Lagoa Santa, Minas Geraes, Brasilien, p. 24. 
1899. Pteropodidce Matschie, Flederm. des Berliner Mus. fur Naturk., p. 1. 
Geographic distribution. — Same as that of the suborder Mega- 
chiroptera. 
Characters. — As in the suborder. 
Principal subdivisions. — The famity Pteropidse is divisible into 
four groups worthy of recognition as subfamilies. 
KEY TO THE SUBFAMILIES OF PTEROPIDCE. 
Premaxi 11a ries broadly united anteriorly. 
Molars with blunt, indistinct cusps Nyctymenin^e, p. 75. 
Molars with at least 5 sharp cusps each Harpyionycterin^e, p. 77. 
Premaxillaries separate or barely united anteriorly. 
Tongue not highly extensible ; molars and incisors not specially reduced 
in size ; braincase never strongly deflected ; upper surface of mandib- 
ular symphysis forming conspicuous angle with alveolar line, 
Pteropina, p. 45. 
Tongue highly extensible ; molars and incisors considerably reduced in 
size ; braincase strongly deflected ; upper surface of mandibular sym- 
physis parallel with alveolar line KicdotincE, p. 68. 
SiaLfkrnily PTEROPINA. 
1878. Pteropodidce Dobson, Catal. Chiropt. Brit. Mus., p. 3 (part; Pteropi 
part). 
1891. Pteropodince Flower and Lydekker, Mammals living and extinct, 
p. 650. 
1899. Pteropodidce Matschie, Flederm. des Berliner Mus. fur Naturk., p. 1 
(part). 
