Part 30

Mustela erminea haidarum, Hall, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 57:38, June 28, 1944; Hall, Journ. Mamm., 26:181, July 19, 1945.

Type.--Male, adult, skull, skeleton and skin; no. 94430, U. S. Nat. Mus., Biol. Surv. Coll.; Massett, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia; March 17, 1898; obtained by J. H. Keen; original no. 1800x.

The skull is unbroken and complete except for osseous tissue destroyed in the region of each postorbital process; this is the result of infestation of the frontal sinuses by parasites. The skeleton is complete down to the distal ends of the tibiae; the more distal bones are in the skin. The first, right, upper incisor is missing. Otherwise the teeth all are present and entire.

The skin is in the white, winter pelage but the new under fur is visible along the back and on the head although mostly covered with white hair.

Range.--Queen Charlotte Islands. See figure 25, page 95.

Characters for ready recognition.--Differs from M. e. celenda in chest white (not mostly covered by brown patch), proximal two-thirds of under side of tail colored like underparts instead of upper parts, in males basilar length less than 38.2; from M. e. seclusa, in male, in zygomatic breadth less than distance between last upper molar and jugular foramen; from M. e. richardsonii and alascensis, in both sexes, in proximal two-thirds of under side of tail colored like underparts instead of upper parts, interorbital breadth not less than distance from glenoid fossa to posterior margin of external auditory meatus; from M. e. anguinae and fallenda, in both sexes, in light-colored underparts more than half the width of dark-colored upper parts, proximal two-thirds of under surface of tail colored like underparts instead of upper parts, interorbital breadth equal to or more than distance between glenoid fossa and posterior margin of external auditory meatus.

Description.--Size.--Male: Two adults, U.S.N.M., no. 100622, from Cumsheva Inlet, and Amer. Mus. N. H., no. 37411, and the type, measure, respectively, as follows: Total length, 283, 290, 275; length of tail, 70, 75, 60; length of hind foot, 39, 40, 37.

Female: Corresponding measurements of an adult, no. 100624, and a young individual, no. 100623, each from Cumsheva Inlet, are: 252, 250; 63, 61; 31, 32.

Color.--As described in Mustela erminea richardsonii except that underparts not Sulphur Yellow but ranging from near (e) Colonial Buff through Marguerite Yellow to almost pure white; color of underparts extends distally on posterior sides of forelegs and onto toes but in many specimens interrupted at wrist by color of upper parts; color of underparts extends onto proximal three-fourths of under side of tail as length of tail is measured along tail-vertebrae; least width of color of underparts averaging, in 5 males, 79 (66-130) per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts. Black tip of tail in same males averaging 62 (60-70) mm. which is 92 (83-115) per cent of length of tail-vertebrae.

The close correspondence in color-pattern of this weasel with the Arctic races, arctica, polaris, semplei and kadiacensis is noteworthy, and distinguishes it from weasels on the adjacent mainland and adjoining islands to the north and south. The color of the upper parts is darker than in the four Arctic races named.

Skull.--Male (7 adults): See measurements and plates 5-7. As described in Mustela erminea richardsonii except that: Weight, 1.9 (1.7-2.0) grams; basilar length, 36.7 (35.6-37.5); length of tooth-rows more than length of tympanic bullae; breadth of rostrum measured across lacrimal processes more than a third of basilar length; interorbital breadth more than distance between glenoid fossa and posterior margin of external auditory meatus; zygomatic breadth barely less than distance between last upper molar and jugular foramen.

Female (2 adults): See measurements and plates 11-13. As described in Mustela erminea richardsonii except that: Weight, 1.3 and 1.4 grams; basilar length, 34.2; length of tooth-rows more or less than (about equal to) length of tympanic bulla; breadth of rostrum more than 30 per cent of basilar length; interorbital breadth not less than distance between glenoid fossa and posterior margin of external auditory meatus.

From richardsonii, haidarum differs in that skull of the male is actually larger in its anterior part (breadth of rostrum, interorbital breadth and orbitonasal length) but all measurements of other parts average less. In relation to the basilar length, the tympanic bulla is shorter but all other measurements are more. In the skull of the female, which is 23 per cent heavier, the width of the tympanic bulla and anteroposterior extent of the inner lobe of M1 are the same; in all other measurements the female of haidarum is larger, and in relation to the basilar length all measurements are more except the depth of the skull at the anterior margin of the basioccipital and the width of the tympanic bulla, which are less. By actual weight the skull of the male is 25 per cent lighter and the skull of the female 24 per cent heavier than in richardsonii. From fallenda and anguinae, haidarum differs in that measurements of the skulls of both sexes either average more, or are uniformly more, with two exceptions. These are the lesser length and breadth of the tympanic bulla, in comparison with males of fallenda, and the dimensions of M1 which are about the same in all three races concerned. The pre-and interorbital parts are larger in relation to the remainder of the skull. The postorbital breadth is actually a third more than in fallenda. In relation to the basilar length, the tympanic bulla is shorter and the braincase deeper than in males of anguinae. The skull of the male is 27 per cent heavier than that of fallenda and 58 per cent heavier than that of anguinae. The skull of the female is 59 and 50 per cent heavier than those of fallenda and anguinae, respectively. Comparison of the skull with those of alascensis, celenda and seclusa has been made in the accounts of those subspecies.

Remarks.--The available specimens of this ermine were obtained by J. H. Keen in 1898, Wilfred H. Osgood and E. A. Lewis in 1900, W. W. Brown in 1914, J. A. Munro in 1917 and 1918, and Allan Brooks in 1920. M. e. haidarum has more claim to full specific status than any other race of ermine because the diagnostic structural features are numerous and individually of relatively great degree. Indeed, individual variation appears not to bridge the gap between any population of haidarum and other subspecies and strong reasons could be advanced for according haidarum the status of a full species. It differs from the subspecies of erminea on the adjoining mainland and adjoining islands to the north and south and agrees with the Arctic races (arctica, polaris, semplei and kadiacensis) in great extent of the color of the underparts, extension of this color onto the underneath side of the tail, long black tip of the tail and general form of the skull including the relatively heavy preorbital region. The color although darker than in the Arctic subspecies, is lighter than in the insular races immediately to the north and south. In combination, the features mentioned could be taken as indication that haidarum is a relict population from a former glacial period. Assuming that it is a relict population, the color may have become slightly darker since that period but the main response appears to have been a decrease in size for this is a much smaller animal than the Arctic ermines. The size is about what would be expected if one were to judge by the slightly larger ermines on the islands of southeastern Alaska to the north and the smaller ermine on Vancouver Island to the south.

The ermines of the islands of southeastern Alaska, excepting possibly the incompletely known seclusa, have fewer characters of the Arctic races and more characters of the races of the adjoining mainland. Therefore, a possible inference is that the distinctive characters of ermines of the Alaskan islands developed with the aid of isolation from stocks which reached the islands after the glacial period. M. e. haidarum may have found its way to the Queen Charlotte Islands in the glacial period.

Specimens examined.--Total number, 17, as follows. Arranged by locality from north to south. Unless otherwise indicated, specimens are in the U. S. National Museum.

=British Columbia.= Queen Charlotte Islands. Masset, 7 (4, 1, 1); Skidegate, 1; Graham Island, 5 (2, 1, 1); Cumsheva Inlet, 3; no locality more definite than Queen Charlotte Islands, 1.

=Mustela erminea anguinae= Hall

Ermine

Plates 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13

Mustela cicognanii anguinae Hall, Univ. California Publ. Zoöl., 38:417, November 8, 1932.

Putorius cicognanii, Baird, Mamm. N. Amer., p. 161, 1858 (part).

Putorius streatori, Swarth, Univ. California Publ. Zoöl., 10:102, February 13, 1912.

Mustela erminea anguinae Hall, Journ. Mamm., 26:79, February 27, 1945; Hall, Journ. Mamm., 26:181, July 19, 1945.

Type.--Male, adult, complete skeleton (no skin); no. 12482, Mus. Vert. Zoöl., French Creek, Vancouver Island, British Columbia; found as a desiccated carcass on May 1, 1910; obtained by Harry S. Swarth.

Range.--Vancouver Island, British Columbia. See figures 25, 27 pages 95, 149.

Characters for ready recognition.--Differs from M. e. haidarum, in both sexes, in light-colored underparts less than half the width of dark-colored upper parts, proximal two-thirds of under surface of tail colored like upper parts instead of underparts, interorbital breadth less than distance between glenoid fossa and posterior margin of external auditory meatus; from M. e. fallenda, in both sexes, anterior margin of tympanic bullae flush with squamosal rather than projecting from floor of braincase, in males by sagittal crest absent, in females by total length more than 238 and tooth-rows about same length as, instead of longer than, tympanic bulla; from M. e. streatori, in male, by sagittal crest absent and hind foot ordinarily more than 33.5, in female by hind foot more than 27.5, basilar length more than 30.2; from M. e. olympica, in males, by greater average size, hind foot ordinarily more than 33.4 and interorbital breadth ordinarily more than 8.5, in females by larger size, total length more than 235, tail more than 65, hind foot more than 27.5, basilar length more than 30.2.

Description.--Size.--Male: Sixteen adults and subadults yield average and extreme measurements as follows: Total length, 272 (261-284) mm.; length of tail, 81 (74-86); length of hind foot, 35.0 (33.5-36).