Thonglongya, 1972
Salim Ali's Fruit bat
External characters (Table 11)
This is a medium sized fruit bat, with an average forearm length of 67.3 mm (66-69 mm). It is similar to Cynopterus sphinx (CS2) in size but without an external tail (LS1). The muzzle is typically Cynopterine with a deep emargination between the two projecting nostrils (BW3). The ears are oval in outline, with narrowly rounded tips. They are without the pale outer borders of Cynopterus sphinx (CS1). The dorsal pelage is short, soft and dense. It is dark brown to black on the dorsal surface, grizzled with some paler hairs on the shoulders and back. It is also grizzled between the eyes and on the anterior cheeks. An infusion of chestnut hairs is present on the posterior back, on the flanks above the wings and on the elbows and forearms. The upper wing is virtually devoid of hairs. The hairs on the chest and belly are short and the pelage on the chin and neck is particularly sparse. The wings are black throughout with the fingers dark above and slightly paler below. Pale buffy hairs are present on the underside of the plagiopatagium from a line joining the knee to the outer border of the elbow. The interfemoral membrane has some short hairs above and below. The baculum (Fig. 25) is relatively massive. The shaft is ovoid and dome-shaped with a hollowed out ventral surface. The tip is small and with a ventrally hooked projection.
Cranial characters
The skull (BW4) is longer than that of C. sphinx (RL12). It has an average condylobasal length of 32.6 mm (31.4-33.0 mm). The braincase is elongated with a relatively broad postorbital constriction. The postorbital processes are short and heavy. There are no postorbital foramina. The lambdoid crests are well defined. The zygomata are slender and narrow. The infraorbital foramina are large and rectangular. The rostrum is relatively narrow and more elongated than that of C. sphinx . Consequently, the palate is also narrow and long, especially the postdental portion (LS5). The tympanic bullae are small and less inflated than those of Cynopterus . The basioccipital pits are well developed. The mandible is less robust than that of C. sphinx , especially noticeable when the height of the horizontal ramus posterior to m2 is compared; it measures about 3.1 mm in Latidens . The coronoid process of each half mandible is narrow with the tip curved posteriorly.
Dentition
- Upper toothrow length (C-M1) averages 11.6 mm (11.3-11.8 mm) (Fig. 26). Unlike all the other species of fruit bat from the subcontinent, there is only one pair of upper incisors (Fig. 28). This incisor (I2) is simple and peg-like. The upper canine has a faint median groove but is without cingular cusps. The first premolar (PM2) is very small, it slightly exceeds the incisor in crown area; it is possibly functional. The second upper premolar (PM3) is larger and higher than the third (PM4), which is noticeably broad, being nearly square in outline. It has retained its anteroexternal cusp. M1 is smaller than PM4.
- The lower incisor (i2) is small and sharp crowned. The lower canine is much smaller than the upper; it is without a well defined secondary cusp but is thickened at its base posteriorly and is situated close to the incisor. The first premolar (pm2) is very small, relatively smaller than that of C. sphinx ; the second (pm3) is the tallest of the lower toothrow; the third (pm4) is short and very broad. m1 is nearly square in outline. It has a trace of a central cusp. m2 is less than half the crown area of m1..
Variation
All specimens are referred to the nominate race L. s. salimalii .