*2.3.1. The greater false vampire Megaderma lyra (E. Geoffroy, 1810)*

The genus *Megaderma*, E. Geoffroy, 1810, has two species which consists of the greater false vampire *M. lyra* Geoffroy, 1810, and the lesser false vampire *M. spasma* Linnaeus, 1758 [14]. They are large bats without any tail and extensively developed interfemoral membrane. The genus *Megaderma* consists of those species having large oval ears, fold of skin across the crown and have an elongated bifurcated tragus [2, 13]. Megadermatidae consists of four genera and five species, two of which occur in the Oriental Region and one genus and one species in Pakistan [12, 14, 24]. *Megaderma lyra* Geoffroy, 1810, differs from *M. spasma* by its longer forearm, broad and short tragus, smaller postorbital process, and deep prenasal notch. Because of these differences [35], *M. lyra* has been in a separate subgenus, *Lyroderma*. According to Ref. [36], the species (under the generic name *Eucheira*) can be divided into two subspecies, *E. l. lyra* and *E. l. caurina,* both of which are found in and near the Indian Peninsula, and the specimens derived from South China (characterized by larger skull and narrower prenasal notch) belong to a different species, *E. sinensis*. Since the differences are very slight between *E. l. lyra* and *E. l. caurina*, we agree with [37] and [38, 39] who recognized only the nominate subspecies *M. l. lyra* in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. *E. sinensis* is generally accepted as a subspecies of *M. lyra* [6] and is distributed in South China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia. The area of *M. lyra* was figured by [35], but with some inaccuracy, since the species is living in Pakistan [40], Afghanistan [7], and Vietnam [41]. The species is "Lower Risk" IUCN, 2003 and IUCN/SSC Action Plan 2001 [13, 14].

The false vampire bat *M. lyra* Geoffroy 1810, is an old world tropical gleaning bat. It detects its prey both via echolocation [42] and based on prey generated rustling noises [43]. *M. lyra* is a large bat with ugly appearance because of their big head, prominent muzzle, huge naked ears, and peculiar nose leaf. The skin of the nose leaf is pink and naked and roughly lozenge-shaped with a narrow vertical ride running down its center. Ears are bluntly rounded at their tips, sparsely covered with hairs, and pinkish gray color when the animal is alive. The tragus is pinkish brown, long, and slender, being divided into two lanceolate but unequal lobes. The outer lobe is much longer up to 13mm, and slenderer than the inner lobe which is blunter at its tip. The pelage is fine, soft, and moderately long. The upper surface of the body is a uniform mouse gray faintly washed with brown. The ventral surface is paler, with the hair tips on the throat and belly white; the hair bases are gray. Dorsally the body fur is blue gray and consists of long silky hair. The belly fur is a paler, more yellowish gray. Whitish hairs extend around the posterior ears bases and on to the wing membrane from the axillae to the groin. The upper lip tends to be rather sparsely haired with a fleshy furrow dividing the middle of the lower lip. Female have two pectoral mammae with two more false teats in the pubic region. Juvenile have a comparatively dark pelage. The wings are broad due to the last or fifth digit being relatively long. There is no trace of a tail in this species, but the interfemoral membrane is well developed, stretching from heel to heel and being supported by long but weakly developed calcars. The hind feet that are comparatively large is in the development of the first digit which consists of only two joints while the remaining digits have three joints [2, 13].

In India, the colonies of this species have been observed in man-made structures such as temples, caves, forts, dilapidated old buildings, underground tunnels, old cow sheds, grain go downs, cellars, open walls, and shallow soap stone mines [37, 44, 45]. According to Hill [31], the species has been reported from Murree foothills at Lehtarar at 920 m, while Roberts [2] recorded it from Lahore in old ruined Mughal cellars at Shalimar gardens and from Sialkot. At Sukkur in Sindh, it has been found occupying the hillside caves (these are shallow man-made caves in limestone conglomerate) [2]. The species has been observed entering the verandah of an occupied house in Karachi to devour its prey [23]. The British Museum has one specimen, marked Balochistan and it seems likely that this specimen comes from Lasbela. It has not definitely been recorded anywhere else in Pakistan. In Pakistan, it appears that this bat is rather rare and decidedly local in distribution except in the northern sub-montane zone where it may be more widespread than is presently known. Further collecting will undoubtedly reveal its presence in the valley of Peshawar and possibly Mardan [2].

Twenty bats were recorded in a cave (N34° 26.762′ E71° 49.064′) at Tura Gata tehsil Dargai in Malakand district along with *R. leschenaultii* and *Hipposideros fulvus*.
