II E> RARY

OF THL

U N I VERSITY
OF ILLINOIS

IATURAL HISTORY SURVE

530.5

v.10
cop.3

MAMMALS FROM THE COAST AND ISLANDS OF
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA.

BY WILFRED H. OSGOOD.

While collecting birds for the Field Museum during 1908 and
1909, Dr. N. Dearborn and the late Mr. John F. Ferry secured a few
specimens of mammals in northern Venezuela and on several of the
nearby islands. Most of these are such as chanced to fall to their
guns, since they carried no traps and made no special effort to obtain
a representative collection of mammals. The collection, therefore,
is a small one, but so little mammal collecting has been done in this
region that many of the specimens are of considerable interest and
several prove to belong to undescribed forms. The principal localities
represented are in the districts of Aragua and Zulia, Venezuela, and
on the islands of Aruba, Curacao, Testigos, and Margarita.

In reporting on the specimens collected by Messrs. Dearborn and
Ferry, it has seemed desirable to include descriptions of two new species
from other sources, but from the same general region. One of these
is a squirrel from Tobago acquired by the Museum with the Cory
collection of birds and the other is a deer from Margarita Island, pre-
sented by Mr. C. Freeman of Puerto Viejo.

Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus.

One specimen, Lake Valencia, Venezuela; collected by N. Dear-
born. This is in very pale, somewhat worn pelage, chiefly whitish,
but agrees with specimens in similar condition from Guiana repre-
senting typical marsupialis.

Tamandua tetradactyla instabilis Allen.

One specimen, Orope, Zulia, Venezuela; collected by N. Dear-
born. This is too young to show any subspecific characters, but it
seems reasonable to refer it to the Colombian form instabilis rather
than to typical tetradactyla of Brazil. If it were assumed, as has been
done,* that Guiana is the type locality of tetradactyla, it might be
safer on geographic grounds to refer our specimen to that form.

* Allen, The Tamandua Anteaters, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., XX, p. 391, Oct. 1904.

23

24 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. X.

But examination of the principal literature concerned is convincing
that Brazil and not Guiana should be regarded as the type locality
of tetradactyla. Linnaeus based the name entirely on Marcgrave and
Ray, these being the only authors cited in the sixth edition of the
Systema, and only one, Seba, being added in the tenth edition.
Marcgrave referred exclusively to Brazil, and apparently Ray also,
since he uses the words, "Tamandua I Brasiliensibus. " 1 Sub-
sequent authors, so far as consulted, almost invariably give Brazil
or Brazil and Paraguay as the habitat of tetradactyla. In one case,2
Brazil is definitely stated to be the type locality. The fact that the
name tamandua is of Brazilian origin also is worthy of consideration.
If, therefore, it is necessary to consider tetradactyla as Brazilian, the
status of Tamandua t. chapadensis becomes involved, for with tet-
radactyla Linnaeus, bivittata Desmarest, opisthomelas Gray, and
straminea Cope, all from Brazil, it is difficult to see how room can be
found for still another.

Odocoileus margaritse sp. nov.

Type from vicinity of Puerto Viejo, Margarita Island, Venezuela.
No. 18,137 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult male. May,
1910. Presented by C. Freeman.

Characters. Size small; metatarsal gland absent,; color practi-
cally as in 0. gymnotis; hairy part of ears about base and at side con-
siderably darker, more grizzled ; white area on upper throat slightly
more restricted ; median line of chest darker. General color of upper-
parts tawny ochraceous to clay color, the hairs pale fawn at base and
tipped with bright creamy ochraceous ; lower sides and flanks becom-
ing paler, almost cream buff, with little or none of the finely punc-
tulated appearance of the median dorsal region; a line from the top
of the head to the interscapular region distinctly darker than remain-
ing upperparts; upper throat rather narrowly white; lower throat
and sides of neck pale. grayish fawn, finely punctulated; cheeks same
as sides of neck; a well-defined creamy white eye-ring, interrupted
on the upper side posteriorly by an extension of buffy from the top of
the head; top of head with long coarse hairs tipped with buffy and
separated from the grizzled short hairs of the rostrum and antorbital
region by an indistinct V-shaped blackish marking; rhinarium nar-
rowly bordered by white above and broadly on the sides; a buffy
white marking from the top of the rostrum to the angle of the mouth

1 Fide Erxleben, Syst. Regn. Anim , p. 95, 1777. Ray's work not accessible.

2 Miller and Rehn, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XXX, p. 10, Dec. 1901.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

PLATE II, ZOOLOGY.

Upper figure — Type of Odocoileus margaritce. No. 18137 Field Museum of Natural History.
Lower figure — Odocoileus gymnotis from La Guaira, Venezuela. No. 36817 U. S. National Museum.

Reduced 2 2-5.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

Upper figure — Type of Odocoileus margaritiv. No. 18137 Field Museum of Natural History.
Lower figure — Odocoileus gymnotis from La Guaira, Venezuela. No. 36817 U. S. National Museum.

Reduced 2 2-5.

August, 1910. MAMMALS FROM SOUTH AMERICA — OSGOOD. 25

and thence to the white of the chin; a prominent blackish spot on
each side of the chin with an irregular line of buffy between ; outside
of ears naked medially, grizzled buffy at the base and more blackish
along the anterior edge, inside broadly white at the base and rather
heavily clothed with white toward the tip; underparts broadly brown-
ish buff on the breast and for a short distance posteriorly on middle of
abdomen, the middle part forming a distinct dark line; abdomen,
inguinal region, and inner sides of hind legs nearly to hock, white;
inner sides of forelegs white to the elbow joint, this white being un-
connected with that of the abdomen; front side and lower half of
legs nearly clear buffy ochraceous, somewhat paler posteriorly; tail
ochraceous above, white below.

Skull and teeth decidedly smaller than in O. gymnotis; audital
bullae smaller and more rounded; frontals very abruptly elevated and
strongly ridged medially; occipital condyle lower than the palatal
plane; antorbital vacuities relatively small; frontals deeply in-
dented between the base of the horn pedicel and the orbit; upper
molariform teeth slightly smaller than in 0. gymnotis; lower molar
teeth also somewhat smaller, but first and second lower premolars
actually and relatively larger; posterior lobe of last lower molar
reduced to a slender column. Antlers small and rugose except at
points, consisting of a single branch with a slight fork at the tip and a
stout upright subbasal snag.

Measurements. Type (dressed skin, measured dry) : Total length
1,415; head and body 1,310; tail vertebrae 105; hind foot 293; ear
from notch no. Skull of type and of an adult male O. gymnotis,
respectively: Greatest length 218, 261; basilar length 191, 230;
tip of premaxillae to end of palate 136, 162 ; zygomatic width 90, 107 ;
mastoid width 70.8, 83.7; interorbital width 52, 63; median length
of nasals 59.5, 79; greatest width of nasals 27.4, 30; width between
outer sides of second upper molars 62.9, 73.5 ; length of upper molari-
form series (crowns) 64.5, 71.2; length of first and second lower pre-
molars 20, 18.4.

Remarks. Externally there is little except its smaller size to distin-
guish this insular species from its mainland relative O. gymnotis.
Its skull, however, differs markedly from that of gymnotis not only
in size but also in many detailed characters, while in its abruptly
elevated braincase it differs from any deer known to me. The type
and only specimen was secured and presented by Mr. C. Freeman of
Puerto Viejo in generous response to the suggestion of Mr. Ferry, who
was greatly assisted by Mr. Freeman during his work on Margarita

26 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. X.

Island. The deer was kept alive by Mr. Freeman for nearly a year,
and according to his statement was about a year and a half old at
the time of shipment. It was received alive at New York, May 16,
1910, and there killed and prepared as a museum specimen. For
comparison with it, two specimens from the mainland of South
America have been available, representing Odocoileus gymnotis or an
allied form. One of these is an adult male (skin and skull) from La
Guaira, Venezuela, courteously loaned by the U. S. National Museum
through Mr. N. Hollister, Assistant Curator of Mammals ; the other,
a young male (skull only) frpm San Mateo de Caicara, Orinoco River
Venezuela, for the loan of which the Museum is indebted to Mr. F. A.
Lucas, Curator-in-Chief of the Museum of the Brooklyn Institute of
Arts and Sciences.

Sciurus nesaeus G. M. Allen.

Two specimens of this well-marked species are in the collection
taken by Mr. Ferry on Margarita Island.

Sciurus griseogena Gray.

Two specimens, Mountains near Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela;
collected by N. Dearborn. These agree very closely with Gray's
type, with which they were compared in the British Museum. They
show much resemblance in general appearance to 5. hoffmanni and
doubtless are closely related to that species, though readily distin-
guishable by their more rufescent tails. Two specimens from Caracas
collected by Mr. Ferry may be referable to griseogena also, but their
general color is much paler, being scarcely brighter than in 5. que-
bradensis.

Sciurus versicolor zuliae subsp. nov.

Type from Orope, Zulia, Venezuela. No. 16,584 Field Museum of
Natural History. Adult male. Collected March i, 1908, by Ned
Dearborn.

Characters. Similar to Sciurus versicolor of Ecuador but with
black instead of ferruginous predominating on the nape and inter-
scapular region ; feet and upper side of forelegs scarcely grizzled but
nearly clear ferruginous; tail more broadly black terminally; black
of back continuous with that of proximal part of tail ; pelage rather
short and harsh. Upperparts chiefly black to roots of hairs, only
the lower sides, the shoulders, hips, and thighs being mixed black and
ferruginous; interscapular region, nape and top of head mainly

August, 1910. MAMMALS FROM SOUTH AMERICA — OSGOOD. 27

black with a light punctulate mixture of tawny ochraceous ; feet, toes,
and upper side of forelegs clear, rich ferruginous; underparts clear
ferruginous with or without irregular white markings on the throat
and chest; chin and sides of throat finely mixed dusky and clay
color, only slightly paler than cheeks ; upper side of tail black proxi-
mally and terminally, the intervening part clear ferruginous (the hairs
of this part very narrowly or quite broadly black basally) ; terminal
black occupying nearly or quite one-third of length; under side of
tail black with a broad ferruginous edging in middle or black proxi-
mally and terminally with clear ferruginous or mixed black and ferru-
ginous in middle.

Measurements. Type: Total length 440; head and body 235;
tail vertebrae 205; hind foot (s. u.) 57; ear 26. Skull of type: Great-
est length 68.3; basilar length 45.5; zygomatic breadth 33.6; inter-
orbital breadth 17.7; median length of nasals 18.8; diastema, 15.5;
crowns of upper toothrow 9.4.

Remarks. This form, like typical versicolor, is doubtless highly
variable, but the three specimens examined differ constantly from any
of a considerable series of typical versicolor in at least three characters,
increased black across the shoulders and nape, increased black on the
end of the tail, and decrease or entire absence of black on the feet and
forelegs. In versicolor, there is only an inch of terminal black in the tail at
the most and many specimens have the tail ferruginous to the very tip;
while in zulics the terminal black amounts to as much as three inches.
The only other form likely to be related is Sciurus variahilis morulus
of Panama, which is said to have "most of the hairs above,
ringed-blackish at base, then ferruginous, and blackish again at tip";
.'hereas, in zulice the hairs of the back are pure black to the roots.

:iurus tobagensis sp. nov.

Type from Tobago Island, Caribbean Sea. No. 14,954 Field Mu-
seum of Natural History. Adult female. Collected May 12, 1892, by
T. W. Brown, Jr.

Characters. Similar to Sciurus chapmani, with which it agrees
in size and general coloration, but terminal color of hairs of tail paler
md subterminal black more extensive; sides of face slightly more
richly colored. Color of tail much as in S. hoffmanni, but size de-
cidedly smaller. The subterminal black in the hairs of the tail forms
well-defined lateral stripe about 5 mm. in width extending the
length of the tail to a broad black tip 25 to 50 mm. in width. In chap-
ini, the black lateral stripe and subapical black is much reduced

28 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. X.

and in specimens in slightly worn pelage is scarcely distinguishable
from the grizzled central part of the tail, especially when viewed from
the under side. General color of upperparts mixed "peppery,"
clay color and blackish ; orbital ring and sides of nose clay color to
ochraceous; chest and belly clear ochraceous rufous; upper side of
tail from a point about 50 mm. from its base to the black of the tip
mostly clear ochraceous instead of hazel or ferruginous as in chap-
mani; tip of tail black with few ochraceous hairs intermixed and a
few of the black hairs faintly tipped with ochraceous. Skull practi-
cally as in chapmani.

Measurements. Type (dry skin): Total length 330; head and
body 165 ; tail vertebrae 165 ; hind foot (c. u.) 45.

Remarks. The heavy black tip of the tail is the principal character
distinguishing this form from 5. chapmani. A complete revision
of this group of squirrels with ample material is necessary before it
will be possible to decide how many of the various described forms
should be regarded as species and how many as subspecies.

Dasyprocta variegala colombiana Bangs.

One specimen, Orope, Zulia, Venezuela; collected by N. Dear-
born. Comparison of this and other specimens of the same form
with those belonging to allied forms from Panama to Peru shows
sufficiently complete intergradation to convince that at least colom-
biana and isthmica should be regarded as subspecies of variegata.

Hydrochoerus capybara Linnaeus.

One specimen (skull only), Lake Valencia, Venezuela; collected
by N. Dearborn.

Sylvilagus cumanicus Thomas.

One specimen, Maracay, Venezuela; collected by J. F. Ferry.
This is by no means typical, being considerably larger and more
rufescent than the type of cumanicus. It is also decidedly larger than
5. orinoci but agrees closely with that species in color. Its external
resemblance to the insular form margarita also is marked. Without
a series of typical cumanicus, however, it does not seem safe to sepa-
rate it from that species. Possibly it should be regarded as inter-
mediate between orinoci and superciliaris , since it agrees in color with
one and in size with the other.

Sylvilagus nigronuchalis (Hartert).

Three specimens, Aruba Island, collected by J. F. Ferry; one
specimen, Curacao, collected by N. Dearborn. The single adult

August, 1910. MAMMALS FROM SOUTH AMERICA — OSGOOD. 29

from Aruba, the type locality of this species, is in rather worn bleached
.coat much paler than that of the one from Curacao, which is quite
fresh and new. The skull of the Curacao specimen also differs in
narrower nasals and interorbital region and in slightly weaker denti-
tion. Without additional material it is impossible to judge of the
importance of these differences.

Sylvilagus margaritae (Miller).

Thirteen specimens, Puerto Viejo (5), Porlamar (i), and Macanao
(7), Margarita Island, Venezuela; collected by J. F. Ferry. A few
of this series have the under side of the tail nearly pure white and the
sides lighter and more grayish than the back, thus approaching the
coloration of S. cumanicus. The sides of the head and face are in
nearly all cases uniform grayish with slight buffy or more heavily
grizzled areas below the eye and between the eye and the ear.

Sylvilagus avius sp. nov.

Type from Testigos Islands (Testigo Grande), Venezuela. No.
16,593 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult female. Collected
February 14, 1909, by John F. Ferry.

Characters. Similar to Sylvilagus margaritce but smaller and
darker; skull smaller and relatively broader; audital bullae smaller.
Upperparts pale cinnamon rufous and black, the hairs rufous sub-
terminally and broadly black terminally; shoulders and rump slightly
lighter than back but not grayish as in 5. cumanicus and S. super-
ciliaris; top of head rich cinnamon rufous finely mixed with black,
darker than in allied forms; upper side of tail, hind legs and sides of
hind feet nearly clear cinnamon rufous ; a buffy white line over the
eye and a rufous spot below it ; remainder of sides of face pale whitish
clay color mixed with black, the black more intense posteriorly where
it forms a rather distinct blackish area between and below the eye and
the ear; underparts dull whitish, strongly tinged with buff on the
chest and along the sides of the belly where the transition to the color
of the sides is rather gradual ; under side of tail dull dark buff. Skull
rather short and broad ; incisor teeth relatively heavy , cheek teeth
weaker than in margaritce; audital bullae smaller.

Measurements. Type: Total length 420; tail vertebrae. 20; hind
foot 85; ear 53. Skull of type: Greatest length 74.5; basilar length
57-7! zygomatic breadth 36; interorbital breadth 19.2; combined
width of nasals 15.6; diastema 21.2; width between outer sides of
maxillary toothrows 23.2 ; alveolar length of maxillary toothrow 15.3.

30 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. X.

Remarks. This form and also S. margarita and the mainland
forms cumanicus, orinoci and superciliaris are doubtless allied to S.
brasiliensis and 5. minensis and quite probably some, if not all, will
eventually be reduced to subspecific rank.

Felis pardalis subsp.

One specimen, a fine adult male from Orope, Zulia, Venezuela;
collected by N. Dearborn. This differs from typical pardalis to some
extent in color and quite markedly in crania) and dental characters.
The form which it represents is possibly undescribed but the con-
fused state of nomenclature caused by the large number of worse
than useless names given by earl\ authors to members of this group
makes it impossible to identify specimens without extended studies
and reference to material in museums in various parts of the world.

Hormoops megalophylla intermedia Miller.

Eighty specimens, Curacao, Dutch West Indies; collected by
N. Dearborn.

Phodotes tumidirostris (Miller).

Two specimens, Curafao, Dutch West Indies; collected by N.
Dearborn.

Noctilio minor sp. nov.

Type from Encontrados, Zulia, Venezuela. No. 18,044 Field
Museum of Natural History. Female adult (in alcohol). Collected
February 15, 1908, by N. Dearborn.

Characters. Allied to Noctilio albiventer, but smaller throughout ;
foot, tibia, and forearm shorter; skull and teeth decidedly smaller;
braincase shorter and more nearly spherical, but with rather marked
depression of the parietals on each side of and near the base of the
well-developed sagittal crest; supraorbital crests more abruptly
divergent ; ml and m2 separated by a slight space and with the com-
missure less obvious between the hypocone and the commissure be-
tween the protocone and the metacone. Ear laid forward, reaching
slightly beyond muzzle; forearm with wings folded extending 4-6
mm. beyond the muzzle; chin with various small plications, nowhere
smooth ; a lunate lappet below the central prominence of the lower
lip and from the lower side of this an undulate cutaneous ridge extend-
ing roughly parallel with each side of the lower lips; below this lappet
two additional but smaller and scarcely differentiated median promi-

August, 1910. MAMMALS FROM SOUTH AMERICA — OSGOOD. 31

nences from which slender ridges extend backward about 6 mm. ;
six small papillae on each side of the face, two pairs behind each nos-
tril and one pair behind each upper lip; ear slightly lobulate termi-
nally. Color of upperparts a little lighter than mummy brown; a
narrow, whitish median streak from the interscapular region back-
ward; underparts tawny olive, somewhat brighter on the sides near
the base of the volar membrane.

Measurements. Head and body 67; tail 12;. ear conch, inner
margin 17.5, outer margin 20.5, breadth 8.7; tragus 4; forearm
58.4; pollex 10; 3rd metacarpal 51.5; 4th metacarpal 52.5; 5th
metacarpal 50.4; foot with claws 15.6; tibia 21.5; calcar 30.5.
Skull : Condylion to front of canine 17.2 ; zygomatic width 14.6; mas-
toid width 12.6; width of braincase 11.2; inion to anterior division
of sagittal crest 12.5; upper teeth, c-m3 7.5; width of m2 2.7.

Remarks. The differences between the above-described species
and Noctilio albiventer are quite convincing of their distinctness
although only one specimen of each has been available for comparison.
Of these, one (the type) is in alcohol and the other is a dry skin from
Brazil, kindly loaned by the authorities of the U. S. National Museum
through Mr. N. Hollister, Assistant Curator of Mammals. No com-
parison has been possible with Noctilio zaparo Cabrera but since that
species is even larger than Noctilio albiventer it need not be considered.
Careful comparison of -Y. albiventer and -Y. minor with a specimen of
-Y. leporinus mastivus shows so much detailed similarity throughout
even to minor external features and color, that it is difficult to sub-
scribe to their generic separation. The genus Dirias, with Noctilio
albiventer as type, has been separated from Noctilio (type N. lepo-
rinus} on the basis of a proportionately shorter tibia and foot, slight
spaces between upper molar teeth, and the development of a well-
defined commissure from the hypocone of m1 and m2 to the commissure
extending from the protocone to the metacone.* The commissure
is not absent in A*, mastivus but merely not so well developed as in
A . albiventer. But in N. minor, the commissure is scarcely more
prominent than in AT. mastivus, while the spacing of the upper molars
is practically the same as in that species, due allowance being made
for the disparity in size. In dental characters, therefore, A', minor
is intermediate between "Dirias" and Noctilio and even nearer to
the latter; while in the relative shortness of its foot and tibia it differs
from typical Noctilio even more widely than does albiventer, the

* See Miller, The Families and Genera of Bats, Bull. 57, U.S. Nat. Mus., p. 99. 1007.

32 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. X.

genotype of Dirias. Evidently the dental characters are not corre-
lated with the length of the tibia and foot in any natural association of
species, and since it is difficult to see generic significance in the relative
shortness of the tibia and foot, the recognition of Dirias as a distinct
genus is open to serious question.

Cebus apella leucocephalus Gray.

Seven specimens, Orope, Zulia, Venezuela; collected by N. Dear-
born. One of these (No. 16,567) has been compared with the type of
Cebus leucocephalus in the British Museum. The type is somewhat
larger and its pelage slightly fuller and longer than in our specimen,
but the color is practically identical, the only difference being in the
color of the under side of the tail which is slightly darker in the type.
Comparison has not been made with Cebus albifrons and it is there-
fore somewhat of an assumption to use the name leucocephalus as that
may possibly prove to be a synonym of albifrons. However, the
belief that leucocephalus differs from albifrons is encouraged by the
original description* of albifrons, which states that the forehead is
black, -whereas in our specimens it is brown. Moreover, the face in our
specimens is scarcely white, but pale brown. The locality assigned
to leucocephalus by Gray is simply "Columbia"! — but its agreement
with our specimens makes it probable that the exact locality was at
least in northeastern Colombia and probably in western Venezuela
near the coast. This is the more probable since a well-distinguished
form (malitiosus) inhabits the Santa Marta region.

* As follows: " Sitnia albifrons, ex albo cinerascens, vertice nigro, facie caerulea, fronte et
orbitis niveis. cruribus et brachiis fuscentibus."
t P.Z.S., 1865, p. 827.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA