Thomas, 1915
Mount Popa Pipistrelle
External characters (Table 91)
This is a small pipistrelle with an average forearm length of 30.9 mm (29.2-34.0 mm). It is comparable in size and morphology to P. pipistrellus (Ppi1) except that the pelage averages darker. On the dorsal surface, the hairs are long and deep chocolate brown in colour throughout their length. On the ventral surface, the hair bases are also dark but the tips are a pale ginger brown. The wings and interfemoral membrane are a uniform dark brown and essentially naked, except for the proximal third of the upper interfemoral membrane. The ears and naked areas of the face are also dark brown. The baculum is characteristically large, with a long narrow shaft and strongly bifid tip, the horns of which are deflected ventrally (Fig. 205).
Cranial characters
The skull has an average condylo-canine length of 11.2 mm (10.6-11.6 mm). The rostrum is broad; it is more robust and elevated, in lateral view, than that of P. pipistrellus aladdin . The braincase is also more robust, bulbous and elevated. In dorsal profile, there is a slight concavity where the posterior part of the rostrum meets the anterior part of the braincase. Palatal width (M3-M3) averages 5.5 mm (5.3-5.9 mm); this significantly exceeds that of local P. pipistrellus which average 5.0 mm (4.8-5.2 mm).
Dentition
- Upper toothrow length (C-M3) averages 4.4 mm (4.1-4.8 mm) and the dentition is distinctly more robust throughout than P. pipistrellus aladdin. The first upper incisor (I2) is bicuspid; the second (I3) nearly attains the height of the secondary cusp of I2. There is a short diastema between i3 and the upper canine. In contrast to P. pipistrellus (Fig. 199), the posterior cutting edge of upper canine is usually without a well defined angle and secondary cusp. The first upper premolar (PM2) is small but not minute, it is variably intruded from the toothrow and is about equal in crown area to I2. The canine and second upper premolar (PM4) are closely adjacent but not in contact.
- In the mandibular dentition, the first premolar (pm2) is about equal in crown area and three-quarters the height of the second (pm4).
Variation
All specimens are currently referred to the nominate subspecies P. p. paterculus .
Taxonomic remarks:
Two specimens (one male with a badly damaged skull and one female) from Rotung in Arunachal Pradesh and one female from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh were referred by Das and Sinha, 1995 to Pipistrellus abramus . However, the basis for this identification is not clear. Bates et al. , 1997 noted that it is not possible to discriminate with certainty between specimens of P. paterculus and P. abramus except on the basis of bacular morphology. Therefore, these three specimens are here treated as of uncertain identity. Further confirmation of the presence of P. abramus in India is desirable.