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FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY

ZOOLOGICAL SERIES

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Volume X

Chicago, U. S. A.
1909 - 1923

7/
,3

FOUR NEW MAMMALS FROM VENEZUELA.

BY WILFRED H. OSGOOD.

Among South American mammals obtained in recent years by the
Field Museum of Natural History are four from western Venezuela
that appear to be undescribed. They are as follows:

Peramys palliolatus sp. nov.

Type from San Juan de Colon, State of Tachira, Venezuela. Al-
titude 2,500 ft. No. 20524 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult
male. Collected Nov. 14, 1913, by M. P. Anderson. Orig. No. 159.

Characters. — Similar in general characters to Peramys brevicaudatus
but color of under parts entirely rich tawny; hairiness at base of tail
reduced to about a half -inch, that of the upper side only slightly exceed-
ing the lower; skull larger and teeth relatively small.

Color. — Median upper parts from end of nose to rump with hairs
dull slaty at the base and tipped with yellowish gray, the whole forming
a broad grayish dorsal band; sides of face including a narrow line over
the eye, sides of body, arms and legs, and entire under parts deep rich
ferruginous; hands and feet dusky mixed with ferruginous; scaly part
of tail blackish above and below.

Skull.- — Similar to that of P. hrevicatidatus but larger; nasals long
and broadly expanded posteriorly; naso-frontal suture emarginate;
rather marked postorbital swellings; molariform teeth slightly smaller
than in brevicaudatus.

Measurements. — Type: Total length 197; head and body 116; tail
79; hind foot 21.5. Skull of type: Greatest length 36; basal length 36;
zygomatic breadth 19.8; greatest interorbital breadth 7.5; least inter-
orbital breadth 6.3; length of nasals 17; greatest width of nasals 5.8;
palate length from gnathion 20; front of canine to back of M* 14.4;
combined length of Ms^'^ 6.5.

Remarks. — This species is not only darker in color than brevicaudatus
but the hairiness of the upper side of its tail is much less extensive.
It is evidently larger and darker than P. b. orinoci and P. b. dorsalis

13s

136 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. X.

and has the under parts more richly colored. For purposes of compar-
ison, a specimen collected by R. H. Becker at Itacoatiara, near Manaos,
Brazil, has been regarded as representing true hrevicandatus .

Odocoileus lasiotis sp. nov.

Type from Paramo de los Conejos, Sierra de Merida, Venezuela.
Altitude 9,000 ft. No. 20198 Field Museum of Natiu"al History.
Adult male. Collected Aug. 19, 1912. Received from S. Bricefio
Gabaldon and Sons.

Characters. — ^A medium-sized deer with full long pelage (hairs on
back and sides 30-50 mm.), densely hairy and relatively short ears,
broad heavy tail, and dark gra^ash coloration ^^dth rather extensive
blackish brown markings; no metatarsal gland.

Color. — General color of upper parts huffish gray, the hairs broccoli
brown or drab with a broad subterminal annulation of buffy and a dusky
tip producing a somewhat coarsely peppery appearance; sides of body
notably paler than back ; a continuous dark bro\A-n line from the nose over
the head, neck, and shoulders to the middle of the back, widening to
cover practically the entire forehead and interorbital region, broadening
again over the shoulders and thence gradually merging with lighter toward
the tail; sides of head and face gra5'ish finely punctulated; sides of nose
dark brown continuous with median dark frontal area and separated
from rhinariimi and upper Hps by a sharply defined line of buffy white;
a broad blackish eyering; chin cream}^ white wdth a conspicuous blackish
brown submaxillary spot on each side separated from the narrowly
white throat by a buffy gray continuation from the sides of the face;
lower neck and brisket brownish drab only slightly punctulated or
lined with whitish; axillary region buffy white continuous with a well
defined stripe down the hind side of the foreleg to the "knee" and
bordered by pale cinnamon; foreleg mixed drab and cinnamon fawn
becoming brighter nearly clear clay color touched ^vith tawny below the
"knee"; a well-marked dark brown line from midway of the humerus
down the front of the leg to the pastern where it is interrupted by a
fulvous area followed by a broad brown spot at the base of the hoofs;
belly white, continuous with a sharp stripe do\^^^ the inner side of each
hind leg to a point opposite the hock; remainder of hind legs colored
practically like forelegs but brownish stripe less pronounced; ears
densely hairy on the outside, dark drabbish bistre distally somewhat
more grayish proximally; lower base of ear and one third of lower side
white; inside of ear thickly clothed with long creamy white hairs; tail

April, 1914. Four New Mammals from Venezuela — Osgood. 137

broad and heavily haired, the hairs at the tip extending 75-85 mm.
beyond the vertebrae and those on the sides 70-80 mm. ; median upper
side of tail Prout's brown, the hairs self-colored on the distal half of the
tail, broadly tipped with pale cinnamon on the proximal half and con-
tinuous with the color of the back; under side of tail white, the hairs
longer than the median dark ones of the upper side.

5^m//.— Practically as in 0. savannarum ( = 0. spinosus); smaller
and having decidedly weaker dentition than 0. gymnotis as represented
by specimens from the Maracaibo region, Venezuela.

Antlers. — The antlers of the type are in the velvet and were received
attached to the skin, the pedicels having been hacked through with a
machete in removing the skin. They are rather small (length on
outer curve 320 mm.) and only the right antler is normal, the left
having the beam depauperate and shorter than the back tine. The
right antler has four points, a strong well-developed subbasal snag
(70 mm.), a long slender bez or back tine directed upward and back-
ward (105 mm.), and a short trez (25 mm.) two thirds of the way from
the base of the bez to the point of the forwardly directed beam. The
burr is heavy and the subbasal snag together with the beam below the
bez is highly rugose.

Measurements. — Type (dressed skin, measured dry) : Head and body
1460; tail vertebrae 130; hind foot 340; ear from crown 125; ear from
notch iio. Sloill of type: Greatest length 244; basilar length 220;
tip of premaxillae to end of palate 157; zygomatic width 100; mastoid
width 82; interorbital width 63; median length of nasals 72; greatest
width of nasals 27.6; width between outer sides of second upper molars
69; length of upper toothrow 71; lower too throw 72.2.

Remarks. — So far as known, all the deer of the genus Odocoileus
previously described from northern South America inhabit the low-
lands in the arid or semi -arid savannas, regions of light intermittent
forest or open grasslands. They are short-haired and largely ochraceous
or "reddish" in color and their hoofs are narrow and pointed. The
species above described evidently inhabits the paramos and the scat-
tered tongues of forest surrounding them at considerable elevation
above the hot regions. Its full long pelage leaves no room for doubt
that its habitat is relatively cool and moist. Even if they were abun-
dant, deer would be difficult to obtain in these mountain regions; but it
is probable this species is rare, since no specimen of it has been ob-
tained previously, although the Merida region is one from which much
natural history material has been sent for a number of years.

Several names have been given to deer of the genus Odocoileus from

13S Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. X.

northern South America, but so far as they can be assigned to definite
locaHties all of them apply to the one or more lowland species generally
recognized under the names gyninotis and savannarum. Among these
names is one based on ver>' defective material supposed to have been
received from Bogota, Colombia, which is in a highland region, but
the material itself offers no eWdence to the contrary' and all the prob-
abilities favor the \new that the animal was actually killed in the low-
lands, its horns merely having passed through the highlands in transit
to the coast whence they were taken to a European museum.

The status of the various names may be discussed briefly as follows:*

1833. Cerctts gymtwtis Wiegmann, Isis, p. 963, 1833.

This species is usually credited to Colombia, but its tv-pe locality is
the Orinoco region, doubtless the savannas on the lower part of the
river, for although it is stated in the original description that it came
from Colombia this is qualified by the information that its former pos-
sessor had received it ^^a St. Thomas (W. I.) from the Orinoco region.
For purposes of comparison, specimens from the savannas east of Lake
Maracaibo, Venezuela, have been used to represent this species but it
is by no means certain that they are identical with the Orinoco animal
of which no complete specimens are available.

1846. Cervus spinosus Gay and Ger\-ais, Ann. Sci. Nat., Ser. 3.,
Zool., V, pp. 93-94, 1846.

This name has priority over savannarum and, so far as can be
judged from the description, was fotmded upon the same species. It
has page priority over Cervus goudotii and is antedated only by C.
gytnnotis. Therefore it should be the recognized name of the Guiana
deer unless that species proves not to differ from the animal of the
lower Orinoco region in which case it would become a sjTionxTn of
gyninotis. The essential part of the original description is as follows:
"Ainsi G. Cuvier fait connaitre, comme se rapportant au Cervus
virginianus, des bois envoyes de Cayenne par M. Poiteau; mais il est
e\'ident qu'ils sont d'une autre espece. Ces bois sont petits, epineux
k un seul andouiller, etc. Nous signalerons cette espece a I'attention
des zoologistes sur le nom de Cervu^ spinosus J"

1846. Cervus goudotii Gay and Ger\ais, Ann. Sci. Nat., Ser. 3,
V, p. 94, 1846.

The basis of this name was a small single-branched horn, prob-
ably still preser%"ed in the Paris Musetun. It was said to have been
received from "les regions elevees de la Nouvelle-Grenade." At

' For friendly aid in consulting books not contained in Chicago libraries, I am
indebted to Mr. N. Hollister of the U. S. National Museum.

April, 1914. Four New Mammals from Venezuela — Osgood. 139

the most, this indefinite statement of locality could only mean that
the specimen was secured from a native or bought in a shop in the
interior of Colombia, probably in Bogota. Deer are exceedingly rare
and difficult to obtain in the mountains near Bogota and it is even
doubtful whether any except small brockets (Mazama) occur there;
whereas they are fairh' common in the savannas directly east of Bogota
along the upper Meta River on Orinoco drainage. A trade route be-
tween this region and Bogota has been open for many years and the
skins or parts of the lowland animals as well as living animals for pets
are constantly carried to Bogota for sale.^ It is highly probable,
therefore, that the type of Cervus goudotii came from the upper Orinoco
region east of Bogota, Colombia. So far as known, the deer of this
region do not differ from those of the lower Orinoco. The name gou-
dotii may therefore be regarded as a synonym of gymnotis.

1848. Cervus savannarum Cabanis and Schomburgk, Reisen in
Brit. Guiana, III, p. 785, 1848.

Although this name is usually regarded as representing a valid form
differing from gymnotis at least in certain external characters, it is
doubtful if specimens typically representing the two ever have been
compared. Two imperfect skulls in the Field Museum obtained by
M. P. Anderson and R. H. Becker at Boa Vista, Rio Branco, Brazil,
may be considered practically as topotypes of savannarum, for Fort
San Joaquim (very near Boa Vista) was Schomburgk's headquarters
for some time and he has especially mentioned the abundance of deer
in that vicinity.

Unfortunately, it seems necessary that the name savannarum be
superseded by spinosus which has two years' prioritv.

1879. Gymnotis vuiegmanni Fitzinger, Sitzungsber. K. Ak. Wiss.
Wien, LXXVIII, p. 344, 1879.

A renaming of Cervus gymnotis Wiegmann, of which, therefore, it is
an absolute synonym.

1879. Cervus columhicus Fitzinger, Sitzungsber. K. Ak. Wiss.
Wien, LXXIX, p. 66, 1879.

Based on a skull and horns described and figured but not named by
Pucheran (Arch, du Mus., VI, p. 335, pi. 23, fig. i, 1852). These were
obtained from Bogota, Colombia, by the French traveler and naturalist
Roulin. "Bogota" is of course a generalized locality covering the

1 Dr. F. M. Chapman, who has lately done some thorough ornithological work
in the Bogota region, assures me that at present the skins of spotted cats, jaguars,
pumas, etc., and certain live birds and mammals offered for sale in Bogota are largely
from the eastern savanna or llano region.

I40 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. X.

whole Bogota region and, as in the case of C. gcmdotii, it may mean that
the specimen actually had its source in the savannas east of Bogota
near the Meta River. Pucheran's figure, however, shows a pair of
horns of somewhat unusual character, not referable with certainty to
any known species. The disposition of the name columbicus, therefore,
awaits competent examination of the tjrpe in the Paris Museum.

Rhipidomys fulviventer elatturus subsp. nov.

Type from Paramo de Tama, head of Tachira River, Venezuela.
Alt. 7,000 ft. No. 1 8691 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult
male. Collected March 3, 1911, by W. H. Osgood and S. G. Jewett.
Original No. 4252.

Characters. — X small Rhipidomys, smaller than any pre\4ously
described species of the restricted genus; general characters and colora-
tion essentially as in R. fulviventer, but belly paler, tail shorter, hind
foot smaller, and audita! bullae smaller. Upper parts practically
uniform ta^^^ly ochraceous evenly and finely mixed with dusW; a
slight ta^^Tiy ochraceous line; ears and tail sooty brown; under
parts creamy white, lightly washed on the middle of the belly
with pale tawny, the hairs, except those of the chin, with dark slaty
bases.

Measurements. — Type and adult female topotype, respectively:
Total length 225, 225; head and body 108, 108; tail 117, 117; hind foot,
with claw 24, 23. Skull of type: Greatest length 28.2; basilar length
21.4; zygomatic breadth 15.6; interorbital constriction 4.3; nasals 11.3X
2.9; interparietal 10.7x3.9; palatine foramina 5.7x2; diastema 7.4;
upper toothrow 4.5.

Remarks. — This form is well distinguished from fulviventer but in
the present unre vised condition of the genus, its relationship is con-
veniently indicated by the trinomial. Typical examples of fulviventer
have not been available for use in the present connection and con-
clusions have been based upon the original description supplemented
by specimens from eastern Peru referred to fulviventer by Oldfield
Thomas.

It is not improbable that the rats of this genus are more restricted
within the boundaries of continuously forested areas than those less
arboreal in habit. Relatively small discontinuities of forest, therefore,
may be locally more effective factors of isolation than temperature
and altitude.

April, 1914. Four New Mammals from Venezuela — Osgood. 141

Proechimys poliopus sp. nov.

Type from San Juan de Colon, State of Tachira, Venezuela. Altitude
2,500 ft. No. 20525 Field Museum of Natural History. Subadult.
Collected Nov. 15, 1913, by M. P. Anderson. Orig. No. 160.

Characters. — A relatively small species with grayish throat, fore-
arms, and fore and hind feet. Size about as in P. urichi and P. ochra-
ceus; smaller than P. mincce and P. guaircB; spines rather weak, about
as in P. urichi.

Color. — Upper parts dull tawny liberally mixed with black on the
head and back, the sides being paler; under parts chiefly white, the
middle throat and an irregular line on each side of the belly drab gray
only slightly paler than the basal color of the hairs of the sides; front of
forearms and forefeet darker drab gray approaching broccoli brown;
hind feet grayish drab with a slight touch of whitish on the inner sides;
tail very lightly haired, blackish above, yellowish white below.

Skull. — Similar to that of P. ochraceus but audital bullae decidedly
smaller, almost as small as in P. urichi; palatine foramina rather short
and broad leading posteriorly into shallow channels on each side of the
palate; zygomata somewhat heavier than in P. urichi and nasals shorter;
supraorbital ridges relatively weak; parieto-interparietal suture prac-
tically obliterated before full maturity; parietals without ridges; teeth
about as in P. ochraceus, slightly larger than in P. urichi.

Measurements. — Type: Total length 363; head and body 223; tail
140; hind foot 46. Skull of type (last molar in place, but not quite
high enough to be functional): Greatest length 48.9; basilar length
34.4; zygomatic breadth 24.7; interorbital breadth 11. i; nasals 16. 6x
5.1; diastema 10; postpalatal length 18.3; palatine foramina 4.2x3;
upper toothrow 8.7.

Remarks. — The gray forelimbs and feet distinguish this species from
all of its congeners to which it is similar in other respects. From P.
canicolUs, which also has gray limbs, it is distinguished by its smaller
size, its much darker and more uniform color (that of the head un-
differentiated from that of the body), and its cranial characters. P.
mincce sometimes has grayish forelimbs, but it is a larger species with
wholly white under parts. Actual comparison has been made with
topotypical material representing P. urichi, P. ochraceus, P. mincce,
and P. canicolUs. P. guairce is doubtless related also, but its larger size
and white feet distinguish it.