Gray, 1838
Trident bats
The noseleaf has three vertical projections from the posterior erect transverse leaf; the central one is pointed, the outer two are blunt (Fig. 109). The lumbar vertebrae are fused except for the last two. In contrast to Hipposideros , the rostrum and braincase are of nearly equal height (Fig. 110). The sagittal crest is greatly developed. The dentition is more modified than that of Hipposideros ; the small upper premolar (PM2) is absent and M3 is considerably reduced, with only two commissures. The upper canine has a weakly developed secondary cusp at about two-thirds the height of its shaft.
Dental formula: i - 2 - c 1 pm - - - 4 m 1 2 3 = 28.
1 2 - 1 - 2 - 4 1 2 3
The genus includes 2 species with a geographical range that extends from Senegal to Sudan, Ethiopia, Arabia, Iran and Pakistan (Koopman, 1993). One species is recorded from the Indian subcontinent:
Asellia tridens