Part 88

Description.--Size.--Male: Average and extreme measurements of topotypes (as recorded by collectors on labels, and so uniform as to show them not to be accurate to within more than 5 mm.) are as follows: Total length, 434 (410-460); length of tail, 164 (150-180); length of hind foot, 50 (no variation in collectors' measurements). Tail averages 61 per cent as long as head and body. Length of hind foot more than basal length. Corresponding measurements of no. 22191, a young male from Mérida, measured by Osgood or Conover, are 439, 165, 54. The adult male no. 18703, from Páramo de Tama (eastern boundary of Venezuela) has the following measurements written on the label by Osgood: 404, 150, 47.

Female: Average and extreme measurements of topotypes (as recorded by collectors on labels and so uniform as to show them not to be accurate to within more than 5 mm.) are as follows: Total length, 347 (320-370); length of tail, 128 (120-130); length of hind foot, 40 (no variation in collectors' measurements). Tail averages 57 per cent as long as head and body. Length of hind foot more than basal length. Two females, adult no. 11034 and young no. 11033 from Cincinnati, Santa Marta, Colombia, measured by M. A. Carriker, Jr., measure, respectively, as follows: 371, 330; 140, 140; 38, 36. No. 14463, adult, from Río Zapata, Colombia, measured (by J. H. Batty), 315, 138, 39. No. 32182, adult, from Mira Flores, Cauca, Colombia, measured (by W. B. Richardson), 375, 150, 43.

The average differences in external measurements of the two sexes, at Mérida, are: Total length, 87; length of tail, 36; length of hind foot, 10.

Externals.--Longest facial vibrissae black (few rarely white) and extending beyond ear; carpal vibrissae colored like underparts or upper parts, and not extending beyond apical pad of fifth digit; hairiness of foot soles slightly greater than shown in figure 21.

Color.--As described in Mustela frenata panamensis except that: Posterior fourth of each upper lip rarely, and small spot in front of ear usually, white; black of head proper not extending back of ears and grading insensibly into color of upper parts; anterior half of upper parts of adults "frosted" with numerous white hairs (tick bites?), upper parts near (n) Bay or tone 2 of Reddish Black (pl. 344, Oberthür and Dauthenay) or tone 3 in freshest, unfaded pelage. Least width of color of underparts (in ten males from Mérida) 20 (17-23) per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts. Black tip of tail, in same series, 60 to 75 mm. long, thus longer than hind foot and 41 (40-44) per cent as long as tail-vertebrae.

Skull and teeth.--Male (based on type specimen and seven topotypes, five adults and three subadults): See measurements and plates 25-27; weight, 4.1 (3.8-4.3) grams; basilar length, 43.6 (42.3-44.3); zygomatic breadth more than distance between condylar foramen and M1 or than between anterior palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; mastoid breadth less than postpalatal length; postorbital breadth greater than length of upper premolars or than width of basioccipital measured from medial margin of one foramen lacerum posterior to its opposite; interorbital breadth not less than distance between foramen opticum and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; breadth of rostrum greater than length of tympanic bulla; least width of palate greater than length of P4; anterior margin of tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen ovale as width of 4 to 5 upper incisors; height of tympanic bulla less than distance from its anterior margin to foramen ovale; length of tympanic bulla more or less than (approximately equal to) alveolar length of lower molar and premolar tooth-row and shorter than rostrum; anterior margin of masseteric fossa posterior to m2 and confined to posterior third (34 per cent average, 32 minimum, 37 maximum) of mandible.

Female (based on four adult topotypes): See measurements and plates 37-39; weight (no. 143665), 2.3 grams; basilar length 37.2 (36.3-38.2); zygomatic breadth more or less than distance between condylar foramen and M1 or than distance between anterior palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; postorbital breadth (sinuses badly infested with parasites) more than length of upper premolars or width of basioccipital measured from medial margin of one foramen lacerum posterior to its opposite; least width of palate more than length of P4; tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen ovale as combined width of 4 to 5 upper incisors; height of tympanic bulla less than (one half to three fourths of) distance from its anterior margin to foramen ovale; length of tympanic bulla more than length of lower molar and premolar tooth-row.

The skull of the female is 44 per cent lighter than that of the average male.

Comparisons of the skull with those of M. f. panamensis and affinis have been made in the accounts of those subspecies. As compared with the skull of the male of M. f. aureoventris, that of meridana averages smaller in every measurement taken. Indeed, none of the skulls of meridana equals that of aureoventris in basilar length, length of tooth-rows, length of tympanic bulla, depth of skull at anterior margin of basioccipital or at posterior margin of upper molars, or measurements of teeth. Relative to the basilar length, most of the measurements are greater in meridana. Exceptions are the relative length of the tooth-rows, and the two measurements of depth of the skull which average less.

Remarks.--In 1914 when Hollister named this weasel he compared it with M. f. affinis and most of the differential characters which he ascribed to meridana were merely "more than" or "less than" in affinis. In affinis, Hollister included specimens from Chiriquí, Panamá, and the coast of Venezuela. The specimens from these three places were referred by Allen (1916:101) to Mustela affinis costaricensis, and he restricted (op. cit.:100) the type locality of Mustela affinis affinis to Bogotá, Colombia, and synonymized Mustela meridana with M. a. affinis. Hollister probably would not have named meridana had he had specimens from Bogotá for comparison and had he regarded them as topotypes of affinis for the difference is slight. Nevertheless, within the large geographic range of M. f. meridana there is some geographic variation. There is more of such variation in the color of the pelage than in shape and size of the skull. The specimen from San Julián is darker than the average and in this respect approaches true panamensis. San Julián is situated at a relatively low elevation on the coast of Venezuela.

M. f. meridana so closely resembles M. f. affinis that the writer has no quarrel with anyone who would synonymize meridana. However, as represented by topotypes, the two races unquestionably are, on the average, different, and specimens from the southeastern part of the range of affinis probably are individually distinguishable from topotypes of meridana.

Variation in the skulls of the series from Mérida is relatively small. This applies to both males and females. The external measurements recorded by native collectors are not accurate to within more than five millimeters but, considering this, variation in external measurements also seems to be slight. The difference in size of the two sexes appears to be uniformly greater than in weasels from Central America. The twenty-six topotypes show that the color and color pattern are relatively uniform. All are of nearly the same tone except juveniles or young which are, as in the case of panamensis, much brighter colored on the underparts. Also, the young have darker-colored upper parts. The adults, without exception, have numerous white hairs scattered over the back of the head, neck and between the shoulders. I have no trustworthy evidence to support the suggestion that these white hairs are the results of tick bites or that they are caused by other parasites which damage the hair follicles. The white facial markings vary relatively little in the 45 specimens carefully examined in this regard. Also, the variation in color pattern of the two sides of the head is small. Indeed, within rather narrow limits, the color of the two sides of the head is the same in every specimen except two. In these two the white spots anterior to the ears are confluent with the color of the underparts. Only one specimen, no. 21342, has a white spot between the eyes and this spot is small. Ten of the twenty-six specimens have a definite white spot or band in front of each ear. Two specimens have such a spot on one side only. The dark spots at the angles of the mouth are present on two sides in three specimens and on one side only in three others. The mentioned spots are, then, present nine out of a possible fifty-two times. When the spots are absent, dark color usually is present in the required area but is confluent with the color of the upper parts.

A young male from San Julián, Robinson and Lyon (1901:147) state ". . . was shot . . . as it ran over some bowlders in a ravine. Its eyes shone with the same greenish light as do the eyes of our common weasel, and it emitted the same strong odor." No. 14463, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., from Río Zapata, Colombia, according to data on the label, was "taken in timber belt in valley in balk hills" and the native name is Cosonebi. Two specimens taken on the Páramo de Tama, head of Tachira River, Venezuela and Colombia are commented on by Osgood (1912:61) as follows: "One . . . was caught in a steel trap baited with birds and set by the side of a rushing mountain stream. . . . The other was shot in midday as it came prowling about our 'house' in the clearing. . . ."

Of the thirty-three skulls before me, twelve have the frontal sinuses malformed by parasites. These twelve include most of the adults for few of the subadults and fewer of the young show pathologic conditions in the frontal region.

Note on localities.--Several of the localities in Colombia mentioned in "Specimens examined" are described and located by Chapman (1917:640-656, pl. 41) in his "Distribution of Bird-life in Colombia." Place names for Colombia on labels, not found on any map, or duplicated names of which I can not certainly select one, are Río Barrotow, Río Oscuro, Río Zapata, Río Japata, Guasca and El Baldro. Sonson may or may not be the town of that name situated some eighty miles northwest of Bogotá and on the east flank of the Central Andes west of the Magdalena River on the drainage of the Cauca River. In Venezuela most of the specimens from Mérida are labeled 1630 meters, Montes de Mérida. San Julián is some seven miles east of La Guaira (see Robinson and Lyon, 1901:136). San Esteban is located a little way back from the coast between Puerto Cabello and Valencia. Páramo de Tama is on the Venezuelan-Colombian border near the source of the Tachira River (see Osgood, 1912:35). Mt. Duida is shown as at 3° 30´ N and 65° 40´ W by Chapman (1931:13) and Mt. Auyán-tepui as near 5° 15´ N and 62° 50´ W by Chapman (1937:760).

Specimens examined.--Total number, 78, arranged by localities from north to south and unless otherwise indicated in the British Museum of Natural History.

=Venezuela=: San Julián, 1; Carácas, 2; Galipare, Cerro del Avila, 6500 feet, 1; San Esteban, 1; Mérida, 45 (10, 14, 10, 2, 2, 1); Páramo de Tama, 1.

=Colombia=: Páramo de Tama, 1; Cincinnati, 3; Valdiva, 3800 ft., 1; Medellín, 2; 7200 ft., Barro Blanco, 1; Santa Elena, 9000 ft., 1; Santa Elena, 1; Sonson, 2 (1, 1); Mt. Auyan-tepui, 1; Pueblo Rico, 5200 ft., 1; Mira Flores, 1; Jerico, near Cauca River, 1; Tornel, 20 mi. NE Quitichao, 1; Mt. Duida, 1; El Tambo, Cauca, 1; El Baldro, 1; Río Japata, 2; Río Zapata, 4500 ft., 1; Río Oscuro, 3300 ft., 1; Río Barrotow, 3300 ft., 1; Guasca, 1; no locality more definite than Colombia, 1.

=Mustela frenata affinis= Gray

Long-tailed Weasel

Plate 30

Mustela affinis Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 14(ser. 4):375, 1874.

Putorius (Gale) brasiliensis frenatus, Coues, Fur-bearing animals, p. 142, 1877 (part).

Putorius affinis, Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:31, June 30, 1896.

Mustela affinis affinis, Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 35:100, April 28, 1916; Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 35:220, May 31, 1916.

Mustela frenata affinis, Hall, Carnegie Instit. Washington Publ. 473:110, November 20, 1936; Hall, Physis, 16:175, 1939.

Type.--Male, adult, skull with skin; no. 54.1.11.3 (skull originally numbered 195d, later 54.6.3.4), Brit. Mus. Nat. Hist.; Colombia [given as new Granada in original description]; purchased from Mr. S. Stevens. Type locality restricted by Allen (1916:99) to Bogotá, Colombia.

The skin is in a good state of preservation and has been made over into a conventional study specimen from a mount on exhibition. Exposure to light when mounted probably accounts for the faded color. The skull (plate 30) lacks the middle 9 mm. of the right zygomatic arch, occiput, basioccipital and posterior two-thirds of the left tympanic bulla. The teeth all are present and entire.