Part 9 (1/2)

_Specimens examined_ (three males and one female; in alcohol).--Choiseul, in April, 23413-14, 23434, 23275.

_Measurements._--Average and extreme measurements of three males and one female are as follows: Length of head and body, 86.1 (83.1-91.0); hind foot, 19.6 (17.2-22.2); ear, 11.3 (10.8-11.7); length of forearm, 54.4 (52.1-57.7).

_Remarks._--Specimens of _Melonycteris woodfordi_ from Choiseul const.i.tute a new locality of occurrence for the species. Apparently _M.

woodfordi_ occurs throughout the Solomons (see Fig. 11).

Thomas (1887_a_:147) named _Nesonycteris woodfordi_ in a preliminary report that appeared before the publication of the more detailed description of the genus and species (1887_b_:323-324). In the second paper he stated that the anterior projections of the premaxillary bones are separated distinctly in both _Nesonycteris_ and _Melonycteris_.

According to Thomas (1887_b_:323), it was by some ”accident” that Dobson (1878:4) reported the anterior projections of the premaxillary bones in _Melonycteris melanops_ to be united. Writing at a later date, Andersen (1912:785) reported that in _Melonycteris melanops_ the premaxillary bones have ”simple contact with each other.” Furthermore, in Andersen's (1912:791) ill.u.s.tration of _M. woodfordi_ the premaxillary bones are in contact anteriorly. In specimens of _woodfordi_ and _melanops_ examined by me, the premaxillary bones are in contact. In _M. aurantius_ the premaxillary bones are not in contact, and it differs from _woodfordi_ in several other respects.

In _M. woodfordi_, as in other macroglossine bats, there is variability in dent.i.tion. One specimen examined has a total of three upper incisors, and another had an extra peglike tooth just anterior to I1.

Subfamily Nyctimeninae

=Nyctimene= Borkhausen

1797. _Nyctimene_ Borkhausen, Deutsche fauna ..., 1:86.

1810. _Cephalotes_ e. Geoffroy, Ann. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat., 15:104.

1811. _Harpyia_ Illiger, Prodr. Syst. Mamm. et Avium, p. 118.

1837. _Gelasinus_ Temminck, Monographe de Mammalia ..., 2:100.

Tube-nosed bats of the genus _Nyctimene_ occur from Celebes on the west to the Santa Cruz Islands on the east. Heretofore, two species (_N.

albiventer_ and _N. major_), each with an endemic subspecies, were known from the Solomon Islands. Both species occur also in New Guinea and on many adjacent islands. A new species of _Nyctimene_, apparently endemic to the Solomons, and a new subspecies of _N. albiventer_ are named beyond.

_Nyctimene_ is related closely to _Cynopterus_ and the ”Cynopterus group” of Andersen (1912:691). Because _Nyctimene_ is a highly specialized bat, Miller (1907:75) placed it in a subfamily separate from that of _Cynopterus_ and its allies.

Andersen (1912:696, 697) placed the species of _Nyctimene_ previously known from the Solomons in two groups, the ”papua.n.u.s” group and the ”cephalotes” group, on the basis of difference in length of forearm and length of maxillary tooth-row. Because of its short forearm (about 58), _N. albiventer_ is in the _papua.n.u.s_ group; and _N. major_, because of its long forearm (about 74), is in the _cephalotes_ group.

Key to Species of Nyctimene in the Solomons

1. Forearm longer than 70; males grayish-brown, females pale gray, =N. major scitulus=, p. 825

1'. Forearm shorter than 70; males dark brown, females pale brown, 2

2(1'). Forearm about 65, =N. malaitensis=, p. 822

2'. Forearm less than 61, =N. albiventer=, p. 818

=Nyctimene albiventer=

This species occurs throughout New Guinea and on many adjacent islands, including the Bismarck Archipelago and the Admiralty and Solomon islands. The species varies geographically and five subspecies are recognized. The two subspecies in the Solomons resemble _N. albiventer papua.n.u.s_, the subspecies that ranges from eastern New Guinea to New Britain. _N. albiventer bougainville_ occurs in the western chain of islands of the Solomons, whereas another subspecies, named as new beyond, occurs in the eastern chain of islands (see Fig. 12).

s.e.xual dichromatism is striking. As Andersen (1912:690) previously reported, females generally are paler, more brownish than males, which are dark and have a better defined black dorsal stripe.

=Nyctimene albiventer bougainville= Troughton

1936. _Nyctimene bougainville_ Troughton, Rec. Australian Mus., 19:349, April 7, type from Bougainville.

1954. _Nyctimene albiventer bougainville_, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 46, June 30.

1953. _Nyctimene papua.n.u.s bougainville_, Pohle, Z. Saugetierk., 17:130, October 27.

_Specimens examined_ (nine males, one female; nine in alcohol, nine crania extracted and cleaned).--Bougainville in December, AM-M. 5786 (paratype); Guadalca.n.a.l in May, 23812, 23815, 23827; Kolombangara in January and February, 23369, 23381, 23388, 23406, 23444, 23456.

_Measurements._--See Table 3.

_Remarks._--Heretofore, _Nyctimene albiventer bougainville_ was not known from Kolombangara and Guadalca.n.a.l. The subspecies apparently ranges throughout the western chain of the Solomons.