| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 1991 |
| Authors: | T. A. Griffiths, Koopman, K. F., Starrett, A. |
| Journal: | Am. Mus. Novitates |
| Pagination: | 1-16 |
| Date Published: | 1991 |
| Keywords: | Africa, Chiroptera, Coleura afra, ears, Emballonura alecto, Emballonura atrata, Emballonura beccarii, Emballonura furax, Emballonura monticola, Emballonura raffrayana, Emballonura semicaudata, Emballonuridae, evolution, Fledermäuse, hyoid bone, hyoid muscles, Mammalia, morphology, Mosia, Neotropics, penis, phylogeny, systematics, Taphozous georgianus, Taphozous mauritianus, Taphozous melanopogon, Taphozous nudiventris, Taphozous theobaldi, taxonomy |
| Abstract: | Dissection of the hyoid musculature and examination of ear, penial, and skull morphology of eight species of Emballonura and one species of Coleura reveal that, with the exception of Embalonura nigrescens, all species share a derived character of the hyoid region. The stenohyoid muscle in all species except nigrescens is deflected dorsally and laterally by a prominent postlaryngeal tracheal expansion. Additionally, E. nigrescens is clearly derived in having a distinctive penis, in contrast with other species of Emballonura as well as Coleura. These observations strongly suggest that non-nigrescens species of Emballonura are more closely related to species of Coleura than either is to Emballonura nigrescens. We conclude therefore that the available generic name Mosia Gray, 1843, shoud be used for the species currently called Emballonura nigrescens. We continue to recognize Coleura as a valid third genus. |