Milne-Edwards, 1872
Greater Tube-nosed bat; Rufous Tube-nosed bat
External characters (Table 110)
This is a large species of Murina with a forearm length of 40.9 mm (based on the holotype of rubex). The muzzle and lower lip are naked, fleshy and dark. The nostrils are tubular and protuberant, their orifices are circular and open obliquely. There is a fringe of hairs which overhang the upper lip. The eyes are small and located near the anterior base of the ears. The ears are short and broad, the anterior margin of each is smoothly convex and the tip rounded. There is a distinct emargination on the posterior border which is consequently nearly straight above and strongly convex below. The inner, anterior border is covered in fine hairs; the backs of the ears are naked. The tragus of each ear is long, narrow and tapering; the anterior margin is slightly convex; the outer concave above, slightly convex below and with a basal notch. The pelage is thick and very soft. On the dorsal surface, it is ferruginous red, intermixed with fawn; the hair roots are dark grey. On the ventral surface, it is very pale, including the hair roots. The upper surface of the interfemoral membrane is moderately covered with long fine reddish hairs (Mule4); the under surface is naked (in the holotype of rubex ) (Mule5). The wings are relatively short and broad; they are attached to the base of the outer toe of each foot. The feet are characterised by their hairy toes. The thumb of each wing is relatively large. The baculum (based on specimens from Japan) is saddle-shaped (Fig. 248). The penis is short and narrow (Wallin, 1969).
Cranial characters
The skull (Mule2) is robust with a condylo-canine length of 16.3 mm (based on the holotype of rubex ). The rostrum is elongated and deep (Mule3). There is a distinct depression along the mid-line of the posterior rostrum and interorbital region. The narial emargination is well defined, it extends posteriorly to a line adjacent to the anterior border of the second upper premolar (PM4). The zygomata are delicate, without jugal processes and not especially broad; they are at their widest posteriorly. The braincase is elevated above the rostrum; its mid-part greatly exceeds the lambda in height. The sagittal crest is rudimentary; the lambdoid crests are moderately developed. The palate is convergent, with the breadth between M3-M3 exceeding that between the canines. The anterior palatal notch extends to the posterior border of the canine. The tympanic bullae are small. The coronoid process of each half mandible is massive in comparison to the small condyle and angular process.
Dentition
- Upper toothrow (c-m3) length is 6.1 mm (based on the holotype of rubex ). The first upper incisor (I2) is short and bicuspidate; its secondary cusp is approximately equal in height to the first. It is situated anterior to the second incisor (I3) and is clearly visible in lateral view, although its posterior, external face is in contact with the anterior, internal face of I3. The second incisor (I3) is robust, about 1.5 times or more the crown area of I2 and with distinct accessory cusps; it is in contact or nearly so with the canine. The upper canine is short, unicuspid and broad (Fig. 247); it has a shallow groove on its anterior face and a well defined cingulum. The crown area of the first upper premolar (PM2) is less than half that of the second (PM4); PM4 has a well developed principal cusp (paracone), nearly equal in height to the canine, a well defined cingulum and a small cingular cusp. Both M1 and M2 have distinct protocones and reduced mesostyles. M3 is greatly reduced, it is comprised of a parastyle, paracone and protocone (Fig. 250).
- The lower incisors (i1- i3) are tricuspidate and overlapping. The lower canine has distinct cingular cusps anteriorly and posteriorly. The lower premolars are tightly compressed between the canine and M1; their breadth exceeds their length. The crown area of the first (pm2) is approximately half that of the second (pm4). The protoconid is the dominant cusp in the lower molars; the talonid is not reduced in m1 and m2 and is approximately two-thirds or more the crown area of the trigonid; in m3 it is small approximately one third the crown area of the trigonid.
Variation
Specimens from the Indian subcontinent have been referred to M. l. rubex on account of their more reddish pelage colour (Corbet and Hill, 1992). However, the holotype of M. l. leucogaster illustrated in Milne-Edwards, 1872 is also reddish and appears indistinguishable from the holotype of rubex . Therefore, specimens from the Indian subcontinent are here referred to the nominate race M. l. leucogaster with rubex treated as a synonym.