Blyth, 1853
Least Leaf-nosed bat
External characters (Table 43)
Externally this species closely resembles H. ater (Hat1) although averaging smaller with a forearm measurement of 34.7 mm (33.0-36.3 mm). There is no significant difference in the morphology of the noseleaf, ears, tail, interfemoral membrane or wings between the two taxa. The pelage is individually variable in colour but tends to be a dull mid-brown to ginger/orange on the dorsal aspect with paler hair bases. On the ventral surface, it is uniformly pale, almost white in some specimens; in others the hair tips are tinged with brown or orange, especially on the flanks. The baculum is small with a narrow shaft and a rounded base with pointed antero-lateral processes; the tip is bifid (Fig. 88). It clearly differs from that of H. ater and H. durgadasi .
Cranial characters
The skull is small with an average condylo-canine length of 13.2 mm (12.7-13.7 mm). The rostrum is reduced with its rostral inflations less developed than those of H. ater (Fig. 85). The sagittal crest is scarcely evident. In contrast to H. a. ater , the jugal bone of each zygoma is without a dorsal process. The palate is small, wedge-shaped and significantly narrower across the canines (C1-C1) and molars (M3-M3) than that of H. ater . The vomer projects into the mesopterygoid space and is thickened posteriorly. The angular process of each half mandible tends to be shorter than that of H. ater .
Dentition
- Upper toothrow length (C-M3) averages 5.0 mm (4.9-5.3 mm). The first upper premolar (PM2) is less reduced than that of H. ater and is not usually extruded from the toothrow. M3 includes a parastyle, mesostyle and two commissures; a short third commissure is present in some individuals.
- The first lower premolar (pm2) is about two-thirds the crown area of the second (pm4). The lower molars are comparable to those of H. ater .
Variation
Specimens from the Indian subcontinent are referred to the nominate subspecies H. cineraceus cineraceus .
Taxonomic remarks
Further research is required to assess the taxonomic position of specimens from southern India which were referred by Blanford, 1888-91 to amboinensis and by Bhat and Jacob, 1990 to cineraceus . They have provisionally been included here in H. ater .