Part 20

Microtus mexicanus fundatus Hall, Univ. Kansas Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist., 1:425, December 24, 1948, type from 3-1/2 mi. S. PAitzcuaro, 7,900 ft., MichoacAin.

Range.--Central part of state.

Specimens examined, 59: nos. 100636-100694, distributed, with reference to the town of PAitzcuaro, as follows: 3-1/2 mi. S, 7,900 ft., 9; 4 mi. S, 7,800 ft., 16; 5 mi. S, 7,800 ft., 26; 9 mi. SE, 8,000 ft., 8.

Remarks.--Of the 23 females, only one was pregnant. It had two embryos. Average and extreme weights of ten adults of each sex, are: males, 37.8 (31.5-48.2); females, 38.0 (31.0-48.6) grams. Our specimens were trapped in well-defined runways beneath a rail fence where there was a growth of grass sufficient to make a cover for the runways. Bailey (1900:54-55) has recorded under the name Microtus mexicanus phaeus specimens from Nahuatzin which may be referable to the subspecies M. m. fundatus.

=Mus musculus= subsp.?

House Mouse; Spanish, RatA cubedn Casero

Mus musculus Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, ed. 10, 1:62, 1758, type from Upsala, Sweden.

Range.--Probably throughout state.

Specimens examined, 4: nos. 100696-100699, of which one is from TacAimbaro, 5,700 ft., and 3 are from 4 mi. S and 1 mi. E TacAimbaro, 4,500 ft.

Remarks.--In each of our specimens the belly is dark, approximately as dark as the back. The specimens caught by us were living in the wild; that is to say, they were not caught in and around buildings. Elliot (1903:141) records the species from PAitzcuaro.

=Rattus rattus alexandrinus= (Geoffroy)

Black Rat; Spanish, Rata Negra

Mus alexandrinus Geoffroy, Catal. Mammif. du Mus. Nat. d'Hist., Paris, p. 192, 1803, type from Alexandria, Egypt.

R[attus]. rattus alexandrinus, Hinton, Jour. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 26:63, December 20, 1918.

Range.--Probably throughout tropical and subtropical parts of state; recorded also from PAitzcuaro.

Specimens examined, 3: nos. 52027, 52033 from TancA-taro and 8909 from PAitzcuaro.

Remarks.--These specimens answer well to the description of R. r. alexandrinus except that no. 8909, taken in May, 1901, by F. E. Lutz, has yellowish underparts suggestive of Rattus rattus frugivorous. In the town of TacAimbaro we saw a freshly killed rat of this species which was all black.

=Sylvilagus floridanus subcinctus= (Miller)

Florida Cottontail; Spanish, Conejo de Florida

Lepus floridanus subcinctus Miller, Proc. Acad, Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 386, October 5, 1899, type from Hacienda El Molino, Negrete, MichoacAin.

Sylvilagus floridanus subcinctus, Lyon, Smiths. Misc. Coll., 45:336, June 15, 1904; Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:180, August 31, 1909.

Range.--Northeastern part of state.

Remarks.--Nelson (1909:181) records specimens from AcAimbaro, QuerA(C)ndaro and the type locality.

=Sylvilagus floridanus restrictus= Nelson

Florida Cottontail; Spanish, Conejo de Florida

Sylvilagus floridanus restrictus Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 20:82, July 22,1907, type from ZapotlAin, Jalisco; Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:181, August 31, 1909.

Range.--Forested areas of non-tropical part of state except northeastern part.

Remarks.--Nelson (1909:183) records specimens from Los Reyes, PAitzcuaro and Mount TancA-taro. This species and the Mexican cottontail are favorite small game for the rural peoples.