(Scully, 1881)
Scully's Tube-nosed bat
External characters (Table 113)
Externally comparable in size to M. cyclotis with an average forearm length of 31.7 mm (30.1-34.1 mm). The muzzle is typical of the genus with tubular protuberant nostrils (Mule1). The ears are short and broad; unlike those of M. cyclotis and M. huttonii they have a small emargination on the posterior border; in the latter two species the border is smoothly convex. The pelage is thick and soft. Most individuals are predominantly grey or grey-brown above, with the roots relatively dark (always darker than those of M. cyclotis ) and the tips pale grey. In a small minority of individuals, the upper surface is ferruginous brown, similar to M. leucogaster . The ventral surface is characterised by the dark grey hair roots and paler grey or grey-brown tips. The upper surface of the interfemoral membrane is variably covered in pale grey or ferruginous hairs; it is essentially naked below. The feet are hairy.
Cranial characters
The skull is essentially similar to that of M. cyclotis but smaller, with an average condylo-canine length of 13.6 mm (13.4-14.2 mm). The rostrum is shallower and the braincase less elevated.
Dentition
- The teeth, with an average upper toothrow length (C-M3) of 5.2 mm (5.0-5.4 mm), appear less robust than those of M. cyclotis . The first upper incisor (I2) is sometimes situated anterior to and sometimes lateral to the second (I3). The upper canine is shorter than that of M. cyclotis and the shaft is narrower in its antero-posterior diameter when viewed laterally. The first premolar (PM2) is also smaller between half and two-thirds the crown area of the second (PM4); in M. cyclotis it is two-thirds to three-quarters that of PM4.
- In the lower dentition, the canine is distinctly smaller than that of M. cyclotis . The first premolar (pm2) is also significantly smaller, two-thirds or less the crown area of the trigonid of m1; in M. cyclotis it is about equal in size. The second lower premolar (pm4) is smaller, subequal in size to the trigonid, in M. cyclotis it is equal or larger. The talonids of m1 and m2 greatly exceed those of M. cyclotis ; they are approximately two-thirds the crown area of their respective trigonids, in M. cyclotis they are about half.
Variation
Specimens from the Indian Subcontinent are referred to the nominate race M. t. tubinaris .