The Recent Mammals Of Tamaulipas, Mexico Part 15

1904. _Lepus (Sylvilagus) parvulus_ J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer.

Mus. Nat. Hist., 20:34, February 29, type from Apam, Hidalgo.

1909. _Sylvilagus audubonii parvulus_, Nelson, N. Amer.

Fauna, 29:236, August 31.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Western part of state.

The specimen examined, a male that weighed 646 grams, was shot at night.

This species occurs only in western Tamaulipas. Hall and Kelson (1959:267, map 187) mistakenly plotted El Mulato, as being in the eastern part of the state; actually this locality is in the San Carlos Mountains of the west, near the boundary between Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon.

_Records of occurrence._--One specimen examined from 4 mi.

SW Nuevo Laredo, 900 ft.

Additional records (Nelson, 1909:237, unless otherwise noted): Nuevo Laredo; Guerrero; Mier; Camargo; El Mulato (Dice, 1937:256); Miquihuana.

=Sylvilagus florida.n.u.s=

Eastern Cottontail

This species occurs throughout Tamaulipas. A female from Soto la Marina, obtained on May 17, was lactating; another from 12 miles northwest of San Carlos, on August 23, carried two embryos that were 15 mm. in crown-rump length.

=Sylvilagus florida.n.u.s chapmani= (J. A. Allen)

1899. _Lepus florida.n.u.s chapmani_ J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer.

Mus. Nat. Hist., 12:12, March 4, type from Corpus Christi, Nueces Co., Texas.

1904. _Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) florida.n.u.s chapmani_, Lyon, Smith. Misc. Coll., 45:336, June 15.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Northern two-thirds of state.

A male and pregnant female from 12 miles northwest of San Carlos weighed, respectively, 650 and 690 grams.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 17: San Fernando, 180 ft., 3; 12 mi. NW San Carlos, 1300 ft., 3; La Pesca, 3; Soto la Marina, 500 ft., 6; Ejido Eslabones, 2 mi.

S, 10 mi. W Piedra, 1200 ft., 2.

Additional record: Jaumave (Nelson, 1909:178).

=Sylvilagus florida.n.u.s connectens= (Nelson)

1904. _Lepus florida.n.u.s connectens_ Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 17:105, May 18, type from Chichicaxtle, Veracruz.

1909. _Sylvilagus florida.n.u.s connectens_, Lyon and Osgood, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 62:32, January 28.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Southern part of state.

This subspecies has been reported previously from Tamaulipas only from Altamira. Specimens from 10 kilometers north and eight kilometers west of El Encino and 70 kilometers south of Ciudad Victoria, judging by their large size, dark color, and ochraceous brown (rather than pale ochraceous as in _S. f. chapmani_) upper sides of the hind feet are a.s.signable to _connectens_.

Goodwin (1954:7) reported specimens from Chamal, Joya de Salas, Gomez Farias, and Pano Ayuctle as _S. f. chapmani_, remarking that they were intergrades between _chapmani_ and _connectens_. Specimens reported by Goodwin are here a.s.signed to _S. f. connectens_ because the measurements of the specimen from eight kilometers west of El Encino are typical of that subspecies.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 4: 10 km. N, 8 km. W El Encino, 400 ft., 1; 2 km. W El Carrizo, 2; 9 mi. SW Tula, 5200 ft., 1.

Additional records (Goodwin, 1954:7, unless otherwise noted): Chamal; La Joya de Salas; Gomez Farias; Rancho Pano Ayuctle; Altamira (Nelson, 1909:186).

=Lepus californicus=

Black-tailed Jack Rabbit

The black-tailed jack rabbit is the only species of _Lepus_ known from Tamaulipas and is represented there by three subspecies, _L. c.

merriami_ of the northern part of the state, _L. c. altamirae_ of the southeastern coastal plains, and _L. c. curti_ of the barrier beach south of Matamoros. The known ranges of the three subspecies are not presently known to meet in Tamaulipas.

=Lepus californicus altamirae= Nelson

1904. _Lepus merriami altamirae_ Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 17:109, May 18, type from Altamira, Tamaulipas.

1951. _Lepus californicus altamirae_, Hall, Univ. Kansas Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist., 5:45, October 1.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Southern coastal plain north certainly to vicinity of Soto la Marina.

The two specimens examined in this study (see below) are intermediate between _L. c. altamirae_ and _L. c. curti_, but show greater resemblance to the former. In measurements they resemble _altamirae_ rather than the smaller _curti_. They approach the latter in length of hind foot and are intermediate between the two subspecies in basilar length; in one specimen, the dimensions of the rostrum are as in _curti_ and the other has the black patch on the posterior surface of the ear well developed, as in _altamirae_, but in the other the black is reduced. _L. c. altamirae_ has been known previously only from Altamira.

_Measurements._--Two male adults (55415, 55416) from north of Soto la Marina, afford the following external measurements: 610, 590; 100, 100; 124, 125; 124, 122 (length of ear from notch, dry, 114, 110). Cranial measurements are: basilar length, 75.1, 74.4; length of nasals, 46.1, 41.9; width of rostrum at PM, 25.1, 28.7; height of rostrum in front of PM, 25.2, 21.5; diameter of auditory bulla, 14.1, 13.0.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 2: 3 mi. N Soto la Marina, 1; 2 mi. NW Soto la Marina, 1.

Additional record: Altamira (Nelson, 1904:109).

=Lepus californicus curti= Hall

1951. _Lepus californicus curti_ Hall, Univ. Kansas Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist., 5:42, October 1, type from barrier beach 88 mi. S, 10 mi. W Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Known only by the three specimens mentioned in the original description from two barrier islands in northeastern part of state.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 3: 88 mi. S, 10 mi. W Matamoros, 2; 90 mi. S, 10 mi. W Matamoros, 1.

=Lepus californicus merriami= Mearns

1896. _Lepus merriami_ Mearns, Preliminary diagnoses of new mammals from the Mexican border of the United States, p. 2, March 25, type from Fort Clark, Kinney Co., Texas.

1909. _Lepus californicus merriami_, Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:148, August 31.