H. Allen, 1864
False Vampire bats
The Megadermatidae is an ancient family of carnivorous bats which includes four genera and five species and is confined to the Old World tropics of Africa, Asia and Australia. Its fossil record dates back to the late Eocene or early Oligocene of Europe. The diet includes small mammals, birds, frogs and fishes as well as large insects (Hill and Smith, 1984). The False Vampire bats are distinguished externally by the presence of large oval ears, which are joined above the forehead (Mly1). The tragus of each ear is distinctly bifid (Fig. 61), with a low anterior part and a tall, pointed posterior process. The noseleaf on the muzzle is simple and erect (Mly2, Msp1). The tail is absent (Mly3). The second finger of each wing has only one phalanx; the third possesses two phalanges. In the skull, the premaxillae are tiny, thread-like bones which are usually lost when the cranium is being prepared for museum study (Hill and Smith, 1984). The postorbital processes are virtually absent; they are obscured by prominent supraorbital ridges (BW13). There are no upper incisors; the bicuspidate upper canine projects noticeably.
Genus of Megadermatidae encountered in the Indian Subcontinent:
Genus Megaderma