(Schreber, 1774)
Serotine
External characters (Table 80)
This is a large Eptesicus with an average forearm length of 54.7 mm (54.2-55.1 mm). The tail is long, with its tip protruding from the interfemoral membrane for about 5 mm (Ese3). The glandular swellings of the muzzle are black and nearly naked (Ese4); the upper lip is fringed with fine hairs. The ears (Ese5) are dark, moderately tall and with about six transverse ridges. The anterior border of each ear has a strong, almost angular convexity just below half of its height and is nearly straight above to the rounded-off tip; the posterior border is almost straight beneath the tip and then convex below, where it is inserted at the base of the antitragal lobe. The tragus is less than half the height of the pinna; its anterior border is straight, the tip is bluntly pointed and the posterior border gently convex, with a distinct notch just above the basal lobe. The wings are broad in relation to their length(Ese7); the fifth metacarpal is shorter than the third and fourth. The wing membranes are inserted on the base of the outer toe of each foot. The interfemoral and wing membranes are uniformly dark brown/black. The upper surface of the interfemoral membrane is lightly haired adjacent to the body and femora; there are also a few hairs on the ventral surface of each wing alongside the forearm. In general, the pelage is fine, dense and silky with a distinct gloss on the back. The dorsal surface is essentially dark brown, although in some individuals there is a golden tinge on the head and shoulders and/or a light frosting of paler hair tips. The throat and belly are paler, a uniform grey in some individuals, buffy-grey in others (Ese6); the hair bases are usually dark above and below. The baculum is very small with a simple tip and bilobate base (Fig. 173).
Cranial characters
The skull (Fig. 174) is robust with an average condylo-canine length of 18.9 mm (18.3-19.5 mm). The rostrum is broad with lateral concavities and prominent lachrymal projections (BW25). The zygomatic arches are widely flared; their widest point posteriorly. The braincase is ovoid in outline with prominent flanges in the mastoid regions. The sagittal crest is low but distinct in adult skulls, rising posteriorly to the lambda which forms the most posterior part of the skull in older individuals. The anterior emargination of the palate is not greatly enlarged; it extends back to the level of the middle of the canines. The palate is broad in relation to that of E. bottae . It is concave and has a short post dental extension. The floor of the braincase is essentially flat, although there are shallow lateral grooves adjacent to the small tympanic bullae. The coronoid process of each half mandible is tall and bluntly pointed; the angular process is rather small and scarcely projects beyond the condyle.
Dentition
- Upper toothrow length (C-M3) averages 7.5 mm (7.1-8.1 mm) in length. First upper incisor (I2) is large and broad, its secondary cusp clearly present in unworn teeth on the outer side of the shaft. The second incisor (I3) is small, barely exceeding the cingulum of I2 in height. The single upper premolar (PM4) attains about half the height of the canine (Fig. 174). M1 and M2 are about equal in crown area with the metacone better developed than the paracone (Fig. 175). M3 is reduced; it is greatly compressed antero-posteriorly with crown area significantly less than half that of M2; both the mesostyle and metacone are very poorly developed and the metastyle is absent.
- There are three lower incisors, all are closely compressed together and the third (i3) is situated below the anterior, internal cingular cusp of the lower canine. The lower premolars are crowded together, the first (pm2) is half the height and crown area of the second (pm4). m1 and m2 are about equal in size, with the protoconid the most developed cusp. In m3, the talonid is significantly smaller than the trigonid.
Variation
Specimens from Rajasthan and Kashmir are referred to E. s. pachyomus . Individuals from northern Afghanistan (Kunduz) are pale and are referred to E. s. turcomanus ; those from near Jalalabad are grey/brown above and were referred to E. s. pashtonus by Gaisler, 1970a. They appear closely similar to specimens from Dunga Gali, Pakistan.