(Thomas, 1891)
Blanford's Fruit bat
External characters (Table 12)
This is a small species with an average forearm length of 54.9 mm (51.7-60.5 mm). The ears are similar in size and shape to those of Cynopterus (CB1) with the tips relatively narrowly rounded off. The anterior margin of each ear has a thin white border. The antitragal lobe is small and triangular in shape. As in Megaerops niphanae and Macroglossus sobrinus (MS2), the tail is entirely absent. The interfemoral membrane is reduced to a narrow rim along the femur and upper half of the tibiae. The pelage is long and dense. It extends on to the tibiae and the underside of the forearm. It is also present on the membrane between the ankle and the elbow. It is dull greyish brown on the dorsal and ventral surfaces. The wing membranes are a uniform brown and inserted on the distal half of the first phalanx of the outer toe.
Cranial characters
The skull (Fig. 29) with a condylobasal length of 26.2 mm, is considerably less robust than that of Cynopterus (RL12), with the rostrum relatively longer and lower, although not as well developed as that of M. sobrinus (Fig. 35) or E. spelaea (Fig. 32). The postorbital processes are short and the zygomata thin; they are less angulated outwards anteriorly than those of Cynopterus or Megaerops . The temporal fossa is narrow and there is no sagittal crest. The anterior border of the orbit is situated above the front of M1. The braincase is deflected downwards, with the alveolar line passing above the glenoid fossa of the squamosal. In contrast to M. niphanae (Fig. 23), the palate is relatively long and more convergent anteriorly; it is less concave on the antero-posterior plane than that of M. sobrinus . The anterior border of the mesopterygoid space is rounded rather than square. The horizontal ramus of each half mandible is low; the coronoid process is also low and distinctly backward sloping; the angular process is less prominent than in Cynopterus (Fig. 20) with the condyle situated below the level of the alveolar line.
Dentition
- Upper toothrow length (c-m1) ranges from 8.0-8.1 mm. The first (I2) and second (I3) incisors are proclivous with the crowns highly differentiated (Fig. 29). They are triangular in shape and differ from the simple peg-like incisors of other Cynopterine bats (Fig. 31); I3 exceeds I2 in size. The upper canine is slanted outwards; it has a deep vertical groove on the antero-medial surface; a narrow cingulum and is without secondary cusps. The first upper premolar (PM2) is minute, significantly smaller than the first upper incisor (I2). The cheekteeth are unmodified in structure but relatively narrow; their length greatly exceeds their breadth.
- In the lower dentition, the second incisor (i2) is larger than the first (i1). The lower canine is robust and outwardly slanting. The cheekteeth are robust as compared to those of M. sobrinus (Fig. 34) but more delicate than those of M. niphanae (Fig. 23).
Variation
Specimens from the Indian subcontinent are referred to S. b. blanfordi . In southern China, specimens from Xizang region have been assigned to a new subspecies S. b. motuoensis (Cai and Zhang, 1980).