Part 82

Skull and teeth.--Male (based on type specimen): See measurements and plates 24-26, 30. As described in Mustela frenata frenata except that: Weight, 6.9 grams; basilar length, 54.1; zygomatic breadth less than distance between condylar foramen and M1 or that between anterior palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; interorbital breadth less than distance between foramen opticum and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; anterior margin of tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen ovale as width of 4 to 6 upper incisors; height of tympanic bulla less than distance from its anterior margin to foramen ovale; anterior margin of masseteric fossa below posterior half of m2.

Female (based on no. 132528): See measurements and plates 37-39. As described in Mustela frenata frenata except that: Weight, 3.6 grams; basilar length, 43.5; zygomatic breadth less than distance between condylar foramen and M1 and more or less than (in the single specimen, equal to) that between anterior palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; least width of palate more or less than (about equal to) outside length of P4; tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen ovale as width of 4 or 5 upper incisors; height of tympanic bulla less than distance from its anterior margin to foramen ovale.

The skull of the female is 48 per cent lighter than that of the male.

Comparison of the skull with that of M. f. goldmani is made in the account of that subspecies. Similar differences probably exist between males of perotae and macrophonius. As compared with skulls of males of M. f. tropicalis and perda, the skull of the male of macrophonius is larger in every measurement taken. The postorbital constriction is less, rather than more, than the combined length of the upper premolars. Relative to the basilar length, the following measurements are less than in any specimen of tropicalis or perda: length of tooth-rows; orbitonasal length; depth of skull at posterior border of upper molars; and depth of skull at anterior margin of basioccipital.

Remarks.--This large weasel appears to have escaped the notice of naturalists until the spring of 1903 when J. Friesser obtained an adult female and juvenal male at Pérez for the collection of the United States Bureau of Biological Survey. These specimens were tentatively referred to Mustela tropicalis. In the following January, Edmund Heller and Charles M. Barber obtained the adult male that was made the type specimen by Elliot who did not see, or if he did, did not mention, the specimens from Pérez. He did, however, refer a young female from Xuchil, Veracruz, to his Putorius macrophonius. This young female is here referred to Mustela frenata tropicalis.

The extent of the geographic range of this subspecies is not well known.

Mustela frenata macrophonius and M. f. texensis are the largest American weasels. The basilar length in the type specimen is greater by one-tenth of a millimeter than in the type specimen of M. f. texensis. The other cranial measurements taken are greater in M. f. texensis. The skull of the female from Pérez is one of the largest skulls examined of that sex. The juvenal male has teeth as large as those of the type specimen and the skull is the largest for its age of any seen. Although the skin of the female is understuffed and hence does not provide reliable measurements, it shows that the female is also large.

The white bands in front of the ears are confluent with the white patch between the eyes on one side only in one specimen. It is the juvenal male. These bands are not confluent with the color of the underparts on either side in the female and on one side only in the adult male. None of the specimens has a white patch between the ears. The dark spot at each angle of the mouth is present only in the juvenile where it occurs on each side. Of the three specimens, the juvenile is the darkest and the adult male the lightest. The white facial markings are most extensive in the juvenal male and the least extensive in the adult female.

M. f. macrophonius most closely resembles M. f. goldmani but in the relatively flattened braincase, deep constriction of the postorbital region and general angularity of the skull approaches M. f. perotae and M. f. frenata.

Only one of the three skulls, that of the female, shows evidence of infestation of the frontal sinuses by parasites, and this did not result in malformation of the interorbital region.

Specimens examined.--Total number, 3, all from México, listed by localities from north to south.

=Veracruz.= Achotal, 1 (Field Mus. Nat. Hist.); Pérez, 2 (U. S. Nat. Mus.).

=Mustela frenata tropicalis= (Merriam)

Long-tailed Weasel

Plates 25, 26, 27, 30, 37, 38 and 39

Putorius tropicalis Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:30, pl. 3, figs. 5, 5a, 6, 6a, text fig. 16, June 30, 1896; Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 15:68, March 22, 1902.

Putorius frenatus, Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:27, June 30, 1896.

Mustela tropicalis tropicalis, Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:100, December 31, 1912; Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 35:99, April 28, 1916.

Mustela frenata tropicalis, Hall, Carnegie Instit. Washington Publ. 473:109, November 20, 1936.

Type.--Male, adult, skull and skin; no. 54994, U. S. Nat. Mus., Biol. Surv. Coll.; Jico, Veracruz, México; July 9, 1893; obtained by E. W. Nelson; original no. 5195.

The skull (plates 25-27, 30) is complete. All the upper incisors, except the second and third on the left side, are missing. The right upper canine is broken. The skin is well made and in good condition.

Range.--Up to 5000 feet (as now known) in Tropical Life-zone of Veracruz, México. See figure 29 on page 221.

Characters for ready recognition.--Differs from M. f. frenata and M. f. perotae in least width of color of underparts not exceeding 36 per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts and in postorbital breadth exceeding length of upper molar and premolar tooth-rows; from M. f. macrophonius and M. f. perda in least width of color of underparts averaging more than 29 per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts; and from M. f. perda by longer tympanic bullae which in males are more than 14.9; and from M. f. macrophonius by lesser basilar length (not more than 48) and in postorbital breadth exceeding length of upper molar and premolar tooth-row.

Description.--Size.--Male: The type specimen and no. 12764/11058, a subadult, from Jalapa, Veracruz, measure, respectively, as follows: Total length, 444, 442; length of tail, 175, 160; length of hind foot, 50, 47. The tail is 65 and 57 per cent as long as the head and body. The hind foot is more or less than (approximately equal to) the basilar length.

Female: Merriam (1896:31) gives the measurements of a female topotype (probably no. 54993, U. S. Nat. Mus., which has no measurements written on the attached label) as: Total length, 333; length of tail, 121; length of hind foot, 37. The length of the tail amounts to 57 per cent of the length of the body. The length of the hind foot of no. 54993, U. S. Nat. Mus. is the same as the basal length.

The differences in external measurements between the male and the female topotypes are: Total length, 111; length of tail, 54; length of hind foot, 13.

Externals.--As described in Mustela frenata frenata except that carpal vibrissae do not reach apical pad of fifth digit and hairiness of foot soles is less.

Color.--As described in M. f. frenata except that: Blackish of head extends half way or more from ears to shoulders; upper parts near (14) Brussels Brown or slightly faded tone 2 of Maroon of Oberthür and Dauthenay, pl. 341; underparts of juvenal pelage near (a) Ochraceous-Buff. Least width of color of underparts averaging (in three specimens from Jico and one from Jalapa) 34 (extremes 30-37) per cent of greatest width of color of underparts. Black tip of tail, in two male topotypes, 57.5 (55 and 60) mm. long; thus longer than hind foot and in each individual comprising 34 per cent of length of tail-vertebrae.