(Barrett-Hamilton, 1906)
Mountain Noctule
External characters (Table 105)
This species is comparable in size to N. leisleri with an average forearm length of 43.0 mm (42.9-43.0 mm). However, unlike N. leisleri , the fur of N. montanus is a uniform brown colour (like that of N. noctula ); the fur of leisleri is distinctly bicoloured, the bases of the hairs being darker than the tips (Nno3).
Cranial characters
In the two specimens examined, the skulls appear larger and more robust than those of N. leisleri . The average condylo-canine length is 15.7 mm (15.4-16.0 mm). The rostrum is also broader and deeper and the dorsal profile declines less steeply to the nares.
Dentition
- The first upper premolar (PM2) is very small, approximately one quarter the size of that of N. leisleri , in consequence the upper canine and the second premolar (PM4) are in contact; in N. leisleri they are adjacent but not in contact (Fig. 229).
- In the lower dentition, the first lower premolar (pm2) is greatly reduced with a crown area of half or less that of the second (pm4); in N. leisleri it is nearly equal or greater than pm4.
Variation
All specimens from the Indian subcontinent referred to the nominate race N. m. montanus .