(Bonaparte, 1837)
Savi's Pipistrelle
External characters (Table 97)
This is a medium-sized pipistrelle with an average forearm length of 34.1 mm (32.1-38.0 mm) based on extralimital specimens. The tail is significantly shorter than the head and body (Psa1). The muzzle is blackish and nearly naked. The ears are relatively large and with broadly rounded tips. Each ear has a broad tragus (Fig. 211). The pelage is noticeably long, about 7-8 mm in the mid-dorsal region, a little shorter on the ventral surface; it has a silky texture and a marked gloss. The bases of the hairs are dark brown for two-thirds their length, above and below; the tips on the back are chestnut brown; on the belly they are grey (Psa2). There is an indistinct line of demarcation between the two surfaces along the neck. The ears, naked areas of the face and membranes are dark brown, almost black. The interfemoral membrane is essentially naked, except for a few hairs adjacent to the tail and body. The baculum is short and stout; its tip is blunt, expanded and broader than the base, which is feebly bilobate (Fig. 205).
Cranial characters
The skull averages larger than that of P. kuhlii with a condylo-canine length of 12.8 mm (12.4-13.3 mm) based on extralimital specimens. In contrast to P. kuhlii , the braincase is low and flat; it is elongated rather than globose. The rostrum is long, with a shallow median linear depression and lateral depressions anterior to the orbits; the postorbital constriction is not greatly developed. The dorsal profile is straight or nearly so; the frontal region may form a slight convexity. The zygomata are relatively robust but are without processes on the jugal bones. The palate is concave and parallel sided; its length exceeds its width. The basisphenoid pits are scarcely developed. The mandible is unremarkable.
Dentition
- Upper toothrow length (C-M3) averages 4.8 mm (4.6-5.1 mm). The first upper incisor (I2) is short, broad and usually bicuspidate, with the posterior cusp about three-quarters the height of the principal one (Fig. 212). The second incisor (I3) is equal to, or exceeds, I2 in crown area, it has a strong central cusp and smaller lateral ones; it almost attains the height of the secondary cusp of I2. There is a well developed diastema between I3 and the upper canine, which has a broad base and is apparently unicuspid. The first upper premolar (PM2) is frequently absent, when present it is minute, about one eighth the size of I2 and is situated in the angle between the canine and the large second premolar (PM4); these latter two teeth are usually in contact (Fig. 212).
- The first lower premolar (pm2) is reduced, about half or less the crown area of the second (pm4) and about two-thirds its height.
Variation
Specimens from India and Myanmar are provisionally referred to P. savii austenianus (Corbet and Hill, 1992).