1931. _Pteropus mahaganus_ Sanborn, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist.,
Zool. Ser., 18:19, February 12, type from Santa Ysabel, also
reported from Bougainville; 1954, Laurie and Hill, List of
land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands,
p. 39, June 30.
_Specimens examined_ (one male and two females; one in
alcohol).--Bougainville, in August and October, USNM 276972, USNM
277104-5.
_Measurements._--Measurements of one male and two females are,
respectively, as follows: Length of head and body, 180, 204, 198; hind
foot, 42, 38, 44; ear, 25, 23, 22; length of forearm, 134, 138, 140.
Measurements of the skull of the male and one female are, respectively,
as follows: Greatest length of skull, 52.5, 55.8; condylobasal length,
50.9, 54.3; palatal length, 24.1, 26.0; zygomatic breadth, 28.9, 32.5;
breadth across first upper molars, 14.4, 15.0; width of M1, 2.2, 2.2;
length of maxillary tooth-row, 17.4, 18.4; length of mandibular
tooth-row, 20.1, 21.4.
_Remarks._--Sanborn (1931:19-21) described _Pteropus mahaganus_ on basis
of six specimens, five from Santa Ysabel and one from Bougainville. The
latter was in poor condition and only provisionally allocated to this
species. The specimens examined by me (listed above) confirm the
occurrence of _P. mahaganus_ on Bougainville.
Sanborn (1931:20) described _mahaganus_ as "similar to and about the
size of [_Pteropus scapulatus_] from Australia, but lighter in color,"
and considered it, along with _P. woodfordi_, a member of the _Pteropus
scapulatus_ group of Andersen (1912:402) and Tate (1942:336). I would
judge, however, that _P. mahaganus_ and _P. woodfordi_ are much more
closely related to one another than to _P. scapulatus_ of Australia. The
only significant characteristic that the latter has in common with the
two species from the Solomons is small cheek-teeth. In fact, teeth of
_scapulatus_ are relatively smaller than teeth of either _mahaganus_ or
_woodfordi_. Also, in _scapulatus_ the upper canines are widely
separated due to lateral expansion of the palate at that point, whereas
in _mahaganus_ and _woodfordi_ the width across the upper canines is
relatively much less.
=Dobsonia= Palmer
1898. _Dobsonia_ Palmer, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 12:114,
April 30.
1810. _Cephalotes_ (part) É. Geoffroy, Ann. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat.,
15:104.
_Dobsonia_, a genus of large to medium-sized fruit bats, occurring from
Celebes to the Solomon Islands, contains at least nine species. One
species and its two subspecies are endemic to the Solomons.
_Dobsonia_ differs from all other genera of megachiropteran bats in the
Solomons by combining absence of a small claw on the second digit and
presence of external tail vertebrae.
The cranium of _Dobsonia_ resembles, in some ways, the cranium of
_Rousettus_ as well as that of _Pteropus_. Even so, in _Dobsonia_ the
rostrum is shorter and the cheek-teeth, especially in the upper jaw, are
more crowded. The anterior part of the mandible is narrow and the lower
incisors are diminutive and often concealed by the flesh of the gum.
=Dobsonia inermis=
In a review of the genus _Dobsonia_, Andersen (1909_c_:532) named and
described _D. inermis_ and _D. nesea_ from the Solomons. Specimens of
_Dobsonia inermis_ from San Cristobal and Ugi were said to differ from
specimens of _D. nesea_ from Alu, Shortland, and Rubiana in having
perpendicular as opposed to anteriorly slanted upper canines. Andersen
(1909_c_:532) reported that the two species were of "... the same
general size." Troughton (1936:348-349) studied specimens of _Dobsonia_
from Bougainville and Santa Ysabel and, because of individual variation
in proclivity of the upper canines, concluded that _D. nesea_ was
conspecific with _D. inermis_. He (p. 349) noted that the ears were
shorter in _inermis_ than in _nesea_, but the size of teeth showed
insular variation and a "... confusing amount of intergradation ...
[that obscures] ... diagnostic importance."
Specimens of _Dobsonia_ from Choiseul are smaller (externally and
cranially) than those from Alu, Shortland, Rubiana, Bougainville, Fauro,
Vella Lavella, Guadalcanal, Florida, Ugi, San Cristobal, and Rennell.
Specimens from Santa Ysabel (see Fig. 8) are intermediate in size
between those from Choiseul and the other islands listed. Judging from
available specimens, two subspecies of _Dobsonia inermis_ occur in the
Solomons. Specimens from Choiseul (see A, Fig. 8), which are smaller
than those from other islands, represent one subspecies (heretofore
unrecognized), whereas specimens from other islands (except Santa
Ysabel) represent a second subspecies. Specimens from Santa Ysabel are
slightly larger than those on Choiseul and are regarded as intergrades
between the two subspecies. Specimens from Rennell, Ugi, San Cristobal,
Florida, Fauro, and Guadalcanal are slightly smaller than those from
Bougainville, Vella Lavella, Shortland, and Rubiana, but the differences
are not great enough to warrant recognition of two subspecies.
Therefore, the subspecific name _nesea_ is arranged as a synonym of
_inermis_, which has priority, and the latter name is used for specimens
of _Dobsonia inermis_ from the Solomon islands other than Choiseul and
Santa Ysabel. Additional remarks on the distribution of this species are
in the section on Zoogeography and Speciation.
Pohle (1953:130) suggested that _Dobsonia inermis_ (as well as _D.
crenulata_ and _D. praedatrix_) is conspecific with _D. viridis_, but
Laurie and Hill (1954:41) did not adopt his suggestion. I have not seen
adequate series of _crenulata_, _praedatrix_, and _viridis_ (none of
which occurs in the Solomons) to judge systematic relationships of these
kinds; therefore I follow Laurie and Hill.
=Dobsonia inermis inermis= Andersen
1909. _Dobsonia inermis_ Andersen, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8,
4:532, December, type from San Cristobal; 1912, Andersen,
Catalogue of the Chiroptera ... British Museum, 1:475.
1936. _Dobsonia inermis inermis_, Troughton, Rec. Australian Mus.,
14:349, April 7, from Santa Ysabel; 1954, Laurie and Hill, List
of land mammals of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands,
p. 41, June 30; 1956, Hill, The natural history of Rennell
Island, British Solomon Islands, 1:74, November 28, from
Rennell Island.
1878. _Cephalotes peroni_ (part), Dobson, Catalogue of the
Chiroptera ... British Museum, p. 91; 1879, Trouessart, Rev.
Mag. Zool., 3:208; 1887, Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London,
p. 323, March 15, from Ugi and San Cristobal; 1888, Thomas,
Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 476, December 4; 1897, Trouessart,
Catalogus Mammalium ..., 1:87.
1899. _Dobsonia peroni_ (part), Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium
..., 2:1278.
1909. _Dobsonia nesea_ Andersen, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8,
4:532, December 1, type from Shortland Island; 1912, Andersen,
Catalogue of the Chiroptera ... British Museum, 1:476, from
Shortland and Rubiana; 1931, Sanborn, Publ. Field Mus. Nat.
Hist., Zool. Ser., 18:22, February 12, from San Cristobal.
1936. _Dobsonia inermis nesea_, Troughton, Rec. Australian Mus.,
14:348, April 7, from Bougainville; 1953, Pohle, Z. Säugetierk.,
17:130, October 27; 1954, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals
of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 41, June 30,
from New Georgia.
_Specimens examined_ (13 males and three females; three in alcohol,
crania extracted and cleaned).--Fauro in April, 23728, 23740, 23751;
Vella Lavella in November, 23134-36, 23141, 23145, 23147, 23149, 23151,
23153; Guadalcanal in May and June, 23865, 23914, 24008; Florida in
October, 24416.
_Measurements._--See tables 2 and 3.
_Remarks._--Heretofore, _Dobsonia inermis inermis_ was unreported from
Fauro, Vella Lavella, Guadalcanal, and Florida. Apparently the
subspecies occurs on most islands of the archipelago (see Fig. 9).
In coloration and most cranial dimensions the specimens listed above
agree with specimens of _D. i. inermis_ from Alu, Shortland, and Rubiana
(Andersen, 1909_c_:532; 1912:475, 476), Bougainville (Troughton,
1936:348, 349), and Rennell (Hill, 1963:74). The forearm in the adult
male holotype of "_nesea_," from Shortland, is 109.5 as opposed to 109.0
in an adult female topotype of _inermis_ from Ugi (Andersen, 1912:478)
in the southeastern part of the archipelago (see Fig. 9). Forearms of
specimens of _D. i. inermis_ from Vella Lavella are 107 to 112
(measurements from labels because forearms of these specimens were
broken and therefore could not be remeasured). Forearms of specimens
from Fauro, Florida, Guadalcanal, and Rennell are 103.6 to 110.0 (see
Hill, 1956:74). Variation in length of forearm probably is not
significant because no cline is evident (see Fig. 9 and Table 2).
In 1964, 11 specimens of _Dobsonia inermis_ were collected on Choiseul.
They are smaller, externally and cranially, than specimens of _D.
inermis_ from Sun Cristobal, Ugi, Rennell, Guadalcanal, Florida,
Rubiana, Vella Lavella, Shortland, Alu, Bougainville, and Fauro, and may
be named and described as follows:
=Dobsonia inermis minimus=, new subspecies
_Type._--Adult male skin and skull, in good condition (originally stored
in 70 per cent alcohol for about one year), no. BBM-BSIP 23716, Bernice
P. Bishop Museum; from Choiseul Island, British Solomon Islands
Protectorate; obtained on 20 March 1964 by Philip Temple, original
number 1524.
_Distribution._--Choiseul Island (type locality); intergrades from Santa
Ysabel also assigned to this subspecies.
_Diagnosis._--Size small for species; wing membranes, feet, and ears
black; dorsal surface of interfemoral membrane sparsely set with silvery
hairs, other membranes naked; hair soft, medium length (10 on mantle, 5
on crown), black hairs and scattered white hairs on face and crown; fur
of dorsal surface of mantle composed of whitish hairs having faint olive
cast imparting general color of Buffy-Citrine; hair of venter short
(about 5), soft, and fine; general coloration Buffy-Citrine; cranium
delicate; rostrum narrow in dorsal aspect (nasals not expanded
laterally); forehead (junction of nasals and frontals) pronounced in
lateral aspect; teeth resembling those of other subspecies of _D.
inermis_ but slightly smaller.
_Comparisons._--From adults of _Dobsonia inermis inermis_, which occurs
on Rennell, San Cristobal, Ugi, Malaita, Florida, Guadalcanal, Rubiana,
Vella Lavella, Shortland, Alu, Bougainville, and Fauro, _minimus_
differs in being smaller. Average length of mandible 31.2 and 33.4. For
other measurements see Table 2.
From _Dobsonia praedatrix_, which occurs on New Britain, New Ireland,
and Duke of York (northward of the Solomons), _minimus_ differs in being
smaller in all dimensions; length of forearm averaging 100.5 as opposed
to 116.0, and greatest length of skull 42.4 as opposed to 50.0.
[Illustration: FIG. 8. Greatest length of skull plotted against
zygomatic breadth for two subspecies of _Dobsonia inermis_. Symbols
represent _D. i. inermis_ ([BW]), _D. i. minimus_ ([TW]), and
intergrades assigned to _minimus_ ([BC]). Capital letters are used
to relate groups of specimens to the island or islands from which
they were collected; spatial distribution of specimens indicated in
the scatter diagram thus is shown in the inset map. Specimens from
Santa Ysabel and Bougainville are deposited in the Australian
Museum. The type specimen of _D. i. inermis_ is labeled "E." For
names of islands see Fig. 2.]
[Illustration: FIG. 9. Distribution of _Dobsonia inermis inermis_
([BC]) and _D. inermis minimus_ ([RW]). For names of islands see
Fig. 2.]
TABLE 2. Average and Extreme Measurements of Two Subspecies of
_Dobsonia inermis_.
================+====================================+===================
| _D. i. minimus_ | _D. i. inermis_
+------------------+-----------------+-------------------
| | | Guadalcanal,
MEASUREMENT | Choiseul | Santa Ysabel | Fauro, Vella
| 4 [M], 2 [F] | 1 [M], 2 [F] |Lavella, Florida
| | | 9 [M], 2 [F]
----------------+------------------+-----------------+-------------------
Length of head | | |
and body |174.5 (170 -180 )| |174.5 (160 -190 )
Tail vertebrae | 28.5 (24 - 33 )| 23.0 (21.5-24.0)| 30.4 ( 25 - 35 )
Hind foot | 25.3 (25.1- 25.9)| 23.5 (23.5-24.0)| 29.3 ( 26.0- 31.6)
Ear | 21.5 (21.0- 22.9)| 21.1 (21.0-21.5)| 23.1 ( 19 - 25 )
Length of | | |
forearm |100.5 (98.1-104.0)|105.3 (104 -107 )|108.4 (105 -112 )
2nd metacarpal | 43.6 (42.6- 45.2)| | 48.1 ( 45.9- 50.9)
3rd metacarpal | 61.5 (59.8- 62.9)| | 67.6 ( 65.2- 68.5)
4th metacarpal | 57.5 (56.5- 58.5)| | 62.5 ( 58.7- 65.5)
5th metacarpal | 59.0 (57.0- 60.5)| | 64.4 ( 61.8- 66.0)
| | |
Greatest length | | |
of skull | 42.4 (42.1- 43.5)| 44.0 (43.0-45.6)| 45.9 ( 45.2- 47.4)
Condylobasal | | |
length | 40.4 (39.5- 41.3)| 41.7 (41.1-42.6)| 43.6 ( 43.1- 45.0)
Zygomatic | | |
breadth | 25.6 (24.9- 26.8)| 26.5 (25.7-27.6)| 27.9 ( 27.2- 28.5)
Breadth of | | |
braincase | 16.8 (16.5- 17.4)| 18.0 (17.1-19.9)| 17.9 ( 16.7- 19.0)
Breadth across | | |
upper canines | 8.4 ( 8.1- 8.7)| | 9.2 ( 9.2- 9.5)
Breadth across | | |
first upper | | |
molars | 12.1 (11.8- 12.6)| | 13.1 ( 12.6- 13.3)
Length of | | |
maxillary | | |
tooth-row | 15.6 (15.5- 15.8)| 16.4 (16.0-17.2)| 16.4 ( 15.9- 17.0)
Length of | | |
mandibular | | |
tooth-row | 17.1 (16.8- 17.6)| 17.8 (17.3-18.4)| 18.2 ( 17.8- 19.4)
----------------+------------------+-----------------+-------------------
_Measurements._--Comparative measurements of the subspecies _inermis_
and _minimus_ are given in Table 2. Some measurements of the type are as
follows: Length of head and body, 147; tail vertebrae, 31; hind foot,
25; ear, 21; length of forearm, 99.5; 2nd metacarpal, 42.8; 3rd
metacarpal, 62.7; 4th metacarpal, 58.5; 5th metacarpal, 59.1; greatest
length of skull, 42.2; condylobasal length, 40.6; zygomatic breadth,
25.8; breadth of braincase, 16.8; length of maxillary tooth-row, 15.8;
length of mandible, 31.2.
_Remarks._--_Dobsonia inermis minimus_ is the smallest subspecies of
_Dobsonia inermis_. Specimens from Santa Ysabel, southeastward of
Choiseul, are slightly larger than the type and paratypes of _minimus_.
As can be seen in the scatter diagram (Fig. 8), a male from Santa Ysabel
is as large as one male and most females of _D. i. inermis_. The other
three specimens from Santa Ysabel also are slightly larger than
specimens of _minimus_ from Choiseul, but are much smaller than
specimens of _D. i. inermis_, and, therefore, are referred to _D. i.
minimus_.
Although there is a cline in size of _Dobsonia inermis_ from Choiseul to
Florida (generally southward; Fig. 9), no cline in size is apparent
between Choiseul and Fauro (generally westward). Specimens of _D.
inermis_ from Fauro are average for the subspecies _inermis_; there is
no evidence, in the small series available, of intergradation between
_minimus_ on Choiseul and _inermis_ on Fauro.
_Specimens examined_ (eight males and three females, all originally in
alcohol; seven crania, all adults, extracted and cleaned).--Choiseul in
March, 23565, 23628, 23637, 23665-67, 23640, 23714, 23716 (holotype),
23717, 23720. Ellis LeG. Troughton kindly examined and measured nos.
AM-M. 3693[M], AM-M. 3694[M], AM-M. 3937[F], and AM-M. 3940[F], from
Santa Ysabel in the Australian Museum.
Subfamily Macroglossinae
=Macroglossus= F. Cuvier
1824. _Macroglossus_ F. Cuvier, Des dents des mammiferes ...
zoologiques, p. 248.
1840. _Kiodotus_ Blyth, _in_ Cuvier's animal kingdom ..., p. 69.
1891. _Carponycteris_ Lydekker, _in_ Flower and Lydekker, mammals
living and extinct, p. 654.
1902. _Odontonycteris_ Jentink, Notes Leyden Mus., 23:140, July 15.
_Macroglossus_, the widest-ranging genus of macroglossine bats, occurs
from southeastern Asia to the southern islands of the Solomon
Archipelago (see Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1966:101; Laurie and Hill,
1954:44). One species, known also from Celebes and New Guinea, occurs in
the Solomons and is represented there by an endemic subspecies.
Numerous generic names have been applied, at one time or another, to
bats now considered as _Macroglossus_. Trouessart (1904:65) and Miller
(1907:70) listed the one bat of this genus occurring in the Solomons
under _Carponycteris_ and _Kiodotus_, respectively. Andersen (1911:642;
1912:767) and, later, Sanborn (1931:22) identified this bat as
_Macroglossus lagochilus microtus_. Troughton (1936:350), reporting an
extension of range of this species in the Solomons, used the generic
name _Odontonycteris_ without explanation. Andersen (1912:754) pointed
out that Jentink originally established the name _Odontonycteris_ on the
basis of an extra premolar in each upper jaw as opposed to the usual two
in _Macroglossus_, and arranged _Odontonycteris_ as a synonym of
_Macroglossus_ because "in no genus of Megachiroptera are dental
anomalies of so frequent occurrence as in _Macroglossus_, and on no
point of the jaws are these anomalies ... so often met with as on that
occupied by the molar series." Sanborn (1931:22) and Phillips (1966:27)
noted variation in number of incisors in _Macroglossus_ as well as in
_Melonycteris_, another macroglossine genus. All of the more recent
workers (Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1966; Pohle, 1953; Laurie and
Hill, 1954) use the name _Macroglossus_.
=Macroglossus lagochilus=
_Macroglossus lagochilus_ has at least three subspecies, one of which is
endemic to the Solomons. The species ranges from Celebes on the west to
the Solomon Islands on the east, occurring not only in New Guinea but
also on many of the small adjacent islands (see Laurie and Hill,
1954:44).
[Illustration: FIG. 10. Distribution of _Macroglossus lagochilus
microtus_. For names of islands see Fig. 2.]
=Macroglossus lagochilus microtus= Andersen
1911. _Macroglossus lagochilus microtus_ Andersen, Ann. Mag. Nat.
Hist., Ser. 8, 7:642, June, type from Guadalcanal, additional
specimens from Florida; 1912, Andersen, Catalogue of the
Chiroptera ... British Museum, 1:767; 1931, Sanborn, Publ.
Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 18:22, February 12, from San
Cristobal; 1953, Pohle, Z. Säugetierk., 17:130, October 27,
from Bougainville; 1954, Laurie and Hill, List of land mammals
of New Guinea, Celebes and adjacent islands, p. 44, June 30.
1888. _Macroglossus australis_ (part). Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc.
London, p. 476, December 4, from Guadalcanal.
1904. _Carponycteris nana_ (part), Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium
..., Suppl., p. 65.
1907. _Kiodotus_ sp., Miller, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 57:70,
June 29.
1936. _Odontonycteris lagochilus microtus_, Troughton, Rec.
Australian Mus., 14:350, April 7, from Bougainville.
_Specimens examined_ (14 males and 16 females; in alcohol).--Choiseul in
March, 23654-57, 23614, 23629, 23643, 23645, 23647, 23677-79, 23684;
Vella Lavella in December, 23277-79, 23283-84; Fauro in April, 23765;
Guadalcanal in May and June, 23830, 23864, 23935; Kolombangara in
January, 23385, 23399, 23397, 23407, 23420-21; Santa Ysabel in June,
24067; Malaita in June, 24067.
_Measurements._--Average and extreme external measurements of 14 males
and 15 females are as follows: Length of head and body, 68.3 (63-72);
tail vertebrae present but scarcely perceptible and therefore not
measured; hind foot, 11.4 (9.0-12.9); ear, 12.0 (10.0-12.9); length of
forearm, 37.6 (36.2-39.9).
_Remarks._--The distribution of _Macroglossus lagochilus microtus_ has
not been well known. Specimens herein reported from Choiseul, Fauro, and
Vella Lavella provide new records of distribution. As shown on Figure
10, the subspecies occurs throughout the Solomon Islands.
_Macroglossus lagochilus microtus_ differs slightly from _M. l. nanus_
Matschie, the subspecies of the Bismarck Archipelago and Admiralty
Islands to the north of the Solomons. _M. l. nanus_ averages slightly
larger than _microtus_ (see Andersen, 1912:768-769, for comparative
measurements) but otherwise closely resembles it.
Individual variation is evident in several measurements of the specimens
at hand (in length of forearm, for example) but no clines are apparent.
Four females obtained in March were lactating, as was one taken in
December and one taken in January.
=Melonycteris= Dobson
1877. _Melonycteris_ Dobson, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 119,
June 1.
1877. _Cheiropteruges_ Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales,
2:19, July.
1887. _Nesonycteris_ Thomas, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, 14:147,
February.
The genus _Melonycteris_ is known from three species, two apparently
endemic to the Solomon Islands and the third occurring in eastern New
Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago (Laurie and Hill, 1954:45).
Heretofore, the generic name _Nesonycteris_ has been applied to the
species in the Solomons, whereas _Melonycteris_ has been restricted to
the one species in the Bismarck Archipelago and New Guinea. Andersen
(1912:792) judged that _Nesonycteris_ was clearly distinct from
_Melonycteris_ on the basis of two characters (loss of a claw on the
second digit and loss of the inner, lower incisors). On the other hand,
he noted striking similarities in general cranial features, dentition,
palatal ridges, tongue, and external appearance of the two genera. Pohle
(1953:131) synonymized the two but Laurie and Hill (1954:45) considered
them distinct. I have suggested previously (Phillips, 1966:26, 27) that
characteristics used to distinguish between _Melonycteris_ and
_Nesonycteris_ are of less than generic value. Variability of number of
incisors in the upper jaw of specimens of _Melonycteris_ (and in other
macroglossine genera, as well) indicates a lack of selective pressure
for either increase or decrease in number of incisors. Furthermore, the
loss of the small claw on the second digit might not be important
because, as Bader and Hall (1960:15) have pointed out, limbs of bats
vary more in phenotypic expression than do other parts of the skeletal
structure.
The discovery of a new species (_Melonycteris aurantius_) in the Solomon
Islands sheds additional light on the problem. Although _M. aurantius_
possesses the distinguishing characteristics of the genus
"Nesonycteris," the species closely resembles _Melonycteris_ in other
features. Similarity in structure of hair of _Melonycteris_ and
_Nesonycteris_, as first reported by Benedict (1957:293), also supports
the argument for synonymy (see Phillips, 1966:26).
_Melonycteris aurantius_ lacks a small claw on the second digit and has
only two lower incisors. In these ways this species is like _woodfordi_,
which also is restricted to the Solomons. On the other hand, the
structure of the skull of _M. aurantius_ is like that of _M. melanops_,
which is the species found in the Bismarck Archipelago.
Although _melanops_ is not yet known from the Solomon Islands, I have
included it in the following key.
Key to Known Species of _Melonycteris_
1. Ventral surface darker than dorsum, but not strongly
contrasting with it; lacking a small claw on the
second digit, 2
1´. Ventral surface nearly black, strongly contrasting with
dorsum; small claw on second digit,
=Melonycteris melanops=
2(1´). Pelage bright, Cinnamon-Rufous; postorbital region of
skull expanded (about 8.3 wide),
=Melonycteris aurantius=, p. 816
2´. Pelage dark, near Wood-Brown or Cinnamon; postorbital
region of skull constricted (about 7.5),
=Melonycteris woodfordi=, p. 816
[Illustration: FIG. 11. Distribution of _Melonycteris aurantius_
[BC] and _M. woodfordi_ [LW]. For names of islands see Fig. 2.]
=Melonycteris aurantius= Phillips
1966. _Melonycteris aurantius_ Phillips, Jour. Mamm., 47:23-27,
March 12, type from Florida Island, additional specimens from
Choiseul Island.