(Gray, 1846)
Nepalese Whiskered bat
External characters (Table 65)
With a forearm length of 33.7 mm (31.2-37.0 mm), this species averages smaller than M. mystacinus . It is primarily distinguished from M. mystacinus by its darker pelage colour on the ventral surface (Mmy2). Here, the hairs have essentially black bases and ochraceous brown tips. In M. mystacinus , the hair bases are also dark but the tips are characteristically grey or creamy white. The hairs on the dorsal surface have dark brown/ black bases and the tips are flecked with russet brown (Mmu1). In general, the hairs on the back appear darker than those of M. mystacinus (Mmy1). As in M. mystacinus , the ears and feet are relatively small and the wings are attached to the distal end of the outer metatarsal of each foot. The upper lip has a well developed fringe of hairs. The baculum is small, saddle-shaped and with a rounded tip.
Cranial characters
The skull, with an average condylo-canine length of 11.7 mm (11.5-12.3 mm) is usually smaller than that of M. mystacinus . In lateral view, the braincase and rostrum appear flattened in comparison to those of M. mystacinus and M. siligorensis . As in M. mystacinus , the rostrum has a slight depression in the mid-line between the posterior border of the nasal orifice and the frontals. The sagittal crest is very weak; it is just visible posteriorly where it meets the ill-defined lambdoid crests at the lambda. The supraoccipital is slightly convex and just forms the most posterior part of the skull. The mandible is essentially similar to that of M. mystacinus .
Dentition
- Upper toothrow length (C-M3) averages 5.0 mm (4.8-5.3 mm). The dentition does not differ significantly from that of M. mystacinus . Both the first two upper premolars are reduced with the second (PM3) half to two-thirds the crown area of the first (PM2). PM3 is sometimes displaced internally in the toothrow; PM2 and the third premolar (PM4) are not in contact.
- The second lower premolar (pm3) is compressed in the toothrow; it is two-thirds the crown area of the first (pm2).
Variation
Specimens from Nepal and the eastern Himalayas are referred to the nominate race M. m. muricola. Those from the western Himalayas are slightly larger and have tentatively been referred to M. m. caliginosus which includes blanfordi as a synonym (Hill, 1983).
Taxonomic remarks
As noted in the Taxonomic remarks section of M. mystacinus , following Hill, 1983, the taxon muricola is considered specifically discrete from M. mystacinus .