Part 10 (1/2)
---------------+------------------+------------------+------------------- Length of head
and body
107.0 (105 -109 )
109.2 (105 -112 )
110.0 (106 -117) Tail vertebrae
20.0 (19.3- 20.5)
21.0 ( 20 - 22 )
19.2 ( 15.5- 23.0) Hind foot
14.2 (13.5- 15.0)
14.3 ( 13.0- 15.9) Ear
11.9 (11.0- 13.0)
12.8 ( 11.8- 14.5) Length of
forearm
54.8 (54.0- 55.8)
57.1 (55.9- 59.0)
57.9 ( 55.8- 59.8) Greatest
length of
skull
28.2 (27.2- 28.9)
28.6 (28.3- 29.7)
29.7 ( 28.6- 30.1) Condylobasal
length
26.7 (26.2- 27.5)
27.4 (26.6- 28.0)
28.0 ( 27.8- 28.9) Palatal length
11.2 (10.9- 11.9)
11.6 (11.3- 11.8)
11.7 ( 11.0- 12.5) Breadth of
braincase
12.0 (11.5- 12.4)
12.0 (11.7- 12.2)
12.3 ( 12.1- 12.8) Zygomatic
breadth
18.9 (18.4- 19.7)
18.6 (18.4- 19.2)
19.2 ( 18.7- 20.0) Interorbital
breadth
5.0 ( 4.7- 5.6)
5.3 ( 5.0- 5.6)
5.1 ( 4.7- 5.5) Breadth across
first upper
molars
8.6 ( 8.4- 8.9)
8.9 ( 8.7- 9.1)
9.1 ( 8.8- 9.6) Maxillary
tooth-row
8.9 ( 8.7- 9.3)
9.3 ( 9.1- 9.5)
9.5 ( 9.2- 9.8) Mandibular
tooth-row
10.3 (10.0- 10.6)
10.5 (10.2- 11.1)
10.9 ( 10.7- 11.4) ---------------+------------------+------------------+-------------------
_Measurements._--Measurements of the two subspecies from the Solomons are given in Table 3. Some measurements of the type are as follows: Length of head and body, 108; tail vertebrae, 20.5; hind foot, 14.7; ear, 11.3; length of forearm, 55.1; 2nd metacarpal, 27.4; 3rd metacarpal, 39.0; 4th metacarpal, 37.5; 5th metacarpal, 39.1; greatest length of skull, 28.6; condylobasal length, 27.5; zygomatic breadth, 18.4; length of maxillary tooth-row, 9.0; length of mandibular tooth-row, 10.4.
_Remarks._--_Nyctimene albiventer minor_ closely resembles _N.
albiventer bougainville_, differing from the latter mostly in size.
Although adults of _minor_ average only slightly smaller than adults of _bougainville_ (see Table 3), there is only slight overlap (about 0.2 at most) in most minimum dimensions of external and cranial features of _bougainville_ and corresponding maximum dimensions of externals and crania of _minor_. The difference in size is clearly shown in Figs. 13 and 14.
Four specimens of _Nyctimene albiventer_ from Fauro herein are considered to be intergrades between _N. a. bougainville_ and _N. a.
minor_. As shown in Table 3, the specimens from Fauro average slightly larger than those of _minor_ from Choiseul and Santa Ysabel and slightly smaller than specimens of _bougainville_ from Kolombangara and Guadalca.n.a.l. I have a.s.signed the specimens from Fauro to _N. a. minor_ because they generally are closer to _minor_ in size (see Fig. 13).
_Specimens examined_ (five males and four females; seven in alcohol; seven crania extracted and cleaned).--Choiseul in February and March, 23636 (holotype), 23631, 23540, 23646; Santa Ysabel in February, 23539; Fauro in April, 23742, 23743, 23763, 23764.
One specimen of _Nyctimene_ from Malaita Island is smaller than _Nyctimene major_, which is known from Shortland, Alu, Florida, New Georgia, Guadalca.n.a.l, Choiseul, and Malapa (see Fig. 15) and is larger than either of the two subspecies of _Nyctimene albiventer_ known from Bougainville, Fauro, Kolombangara, Guadalca.n.a.l, Choiseul, and Santa Ysabel. This specimen represents a previously unknown species and may be named and described as follows:
=Nyctimene malaitensis=, new species
_Type._--Adult female, skin and skull, in good condition (originally stored in alcohol for about one year), no. BSIP 24103, Bernice P. Bishop Museum; from Malaita Island, British Solomon Islands Protectorate; obtained on 1 July 1964, by Peter Shanahan, original no. unknown.
_Distribution._--Known only from Malaita (see Fig. 16).
_Diagnosis._--Size average for genus but larger than closest relative, _Nyctimene albiventer_; wing membranes brown with scattered yellow spots (dried specimen); uropatagium, ears, and feet brown; dorsal surface of tibia set with hair, ventral surface bare; dorsal surface of uropatagium spa.r.s.ely set with hair, ventral surface having few, scattered hairs; dorsal surface of trailing edge of wing membrane spa.r.s.ely set with hairs, ventral surface bare; proximal third of upper- and under-surface of forearm set with hair; pelage of back luxuriant and soft (about 10 long); hair on crown and nape shorter than on back (4 to 8); well-defined black dorsal stripe from shoulders to rump (about 2 wide); basal half of most hairs on dorsum Deep Mouse Gray, distal half Light Buff, tips Ochraceous-Tawny; some hairs on back entirely Light Buff; hairs of crown Light Ochraceous Buff tipped with Ochraceous-Tawny; hair on throat and along sides of abdomen Light Ochraceous Buff; hairs of ventral midline Smoke Gray; braincase narrow; zygomatic breadth relatively narrow; well-developed lambdoidal crest in female; rostrum short, wide; upper canines slanted posteriorly; upper incisors large; foramen ovale large (see Fig. 14).
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 14. Dorsal and ventral views of skulls of (A) _Nyctimene albiventer minor_ [specimen 23631 [M]], (B) _N. a. bougainville_ [specimen 23381 [M]], and (C) _N. malaitensis_ [specimen 24103 [F]].]
_Comparisons._--From _Nyctimene major scitulus_, the largest kind of _Nyctimene_ in the Solomons, _malaitensis_ differs as follows: smaller in all dimensions (forearm 65 as opposed to 73.5); greatest length of skull 32.4 as opposed to 37.0; length of maxillary tooth-row 10.5 as opposed to 13.0; length of mandibular tooth-row 11.8 as opposed to 14.2.
From nine adults of _Nyctimene albiventer bougainville_ from Bougainville, Kolombangara, and Guadalca.n.a.l, _malaitensis_ differs as follows: larger in all dimensions: forearm 65 as opposed to 57.9; greatest length of skull 32.4 as opposed to 29.7; zygomatic breadth 20.4 as opposed to 19.2; and length of maxillary tooth-row 10.5 as opposed to 9.5; length of mandibular tooth-row 11.8 as opposed to 11.1.
From five adults of _Nyctimene albiventer minor_, from Choiseul and Santa Ysabel, _malaitensis_ differs in the same ways it differs from _N.
a. bougainville_, but the contrast is even greater when _malaitensis_ and _minor_ are compared.
From _Nyctimene sanctacrucis_, known only from the Santa Cruz Islands, _malaitensis_ differs in being smaller in all dimensions: forearm 65 as opposed to 75; greatest length of skull 32.4 as opposed to 34.5; and length of maxillary tooth-row 10.5 as opposed to 12.9.