On a new species vi Rousettus Gray, 1821, from Sumatra and Borneo (Mammalia: Megachiroptera) W. Bergmans Instituut voor Taxonomische Zoologie, Plantage Kerklaan 36, 1018 CZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands J. E. Hill Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, England Synopsis Rousettus spinalatus n.sp. is described, based on an adult female and a juvenile male from the vicinity of Medan, Sumatra. It has also been found at Niah, Sarawak, Borneo. Its nearest living relative, with which it is at least partly sympatric, is Rousettus amplexicaudatus (Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire, 1810). The most obvious external characters by which spinalatus differs from this and other possible relatives are the high insertion of the endopatagium on the back next to the spinal line, and the subsequent absence of a true longitudinal dorsal band of fur between both endopatagial insertions. The new species differs further from amplexicaudatus in the shape and relative size of certain teeth. Earlier records of Rousettus amplexicaudatus from Sumatra are reviewed and a third species, R. leschenaulti (Desmarest, 1 820), is recorded from that island for the first time. Introduction Recently, two fruit bats of the genus Rousettus Gray, 1821, were collected in northern Sumatra and were sent to the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna (NMW). The Curator of Mammals, Dr K. Bauer, identified them as related to Rousettus amplexicaudatus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1810) but doubted this determination on the ground of the extremely high wing insertion and sent them to one of us (Bergmans) for further study. Some years ago Hill had received a similar specimen from Sarawak, Borneo. At the time he was reluctant to attach taxonomic significance to the peculiar condition of the wing insertion, considering that even if the specimen was not an aberrant example of amplexi-caudatus it was, as a single subadult, inadequate as a basis for a new taxon. New and detailed study of the Sumatran specimens and of the example from Borneo lead us to believe that they represent a hitherto unnamed species of the genus Rousettus, for which reason it is described below. Colours have been compared with the colour plates of Ostwald (1939) and translated into Ridgway colours with the tables of Zimmermann (1952). All measurements are in mm. The illustrations are by the first author. Rousettus spinalatus n.sp. Rousettus amplexicaudatus, Harrison, 1967: 229 (partim: the 9 specimen caught 6 November in Niah Great Cave). HOLOTYPE. Adult female, skin and skull, collected in December 1 977 in northern Sumatra (either in or near Medan, or in or near Prapat), by natives for Dr Kern (NMW 24 1 1 2). PARATYPE. Juvenile male in alcohol, young of the holotype; all data as for holotype (NMW 24113). REFERRED MATERIAL. Subadult female, skin and skull, collected 6 November, 1 965 at Niah Great Cave, Sarawak, Borneo (3 52' N, 1 1 3 44' E) by T. Harrisson (BM(NH) 75.589). Bull. Br. Mus. not. Hist. (Zool.)38 (1): 95-104 Issued 27 March 1980 CK
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