The Recent Mammals Of Tamaulipas, Mexico Part 27

Three specimens were examined. One is a pup from the vicinity of Padilla which is a.s.signed to this subspecies on geographic grounds. The other two are skins, collected at Nicolas by natives, who deceived the collector by providing dog skulls with the coyote skins. These two specimens are referred to _C. l. microdon_ on the basis of their dark color and dusky shading on the throat and chest. One has a rufous over-all color and the other is ochraceous yellowish. This difference in color suggests intergradation at this place between _C. l. microdon_ that ranged to the northeast, _C. l. cagottis_ to the south, and probably with _C. l. impavidus_ distributed to the west.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 3: 9-1/2 mi.

SW Padilla, 800 ft., 1; Nicolas, 53 km. N Tula, 2.

Additional record: Camargo (Jackson, 1951:305); 20 mi. W Reynosa (Ingles, 1959:401); Matamoros (Jackson, 1951:305); Bagdad (_ibid._); Sierra San Carlos (San Miguel, El Mulato) (Dice, 1937:251).

=Canis latrans texensis= V. Bailey

1905. _Canis nebrascensis texensis_ V. Bailey, N. Amer.

Fauna, 25:175, October 24, type from 45 mi. SW Corpus Christi at Santa Gertrudis, Kleberg Co., Texas.

1932. _Canis latrans texensis_ V. Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 53:312, March 11.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Extreme northwest, known only from Nuevo Laredo (Jackson, 1951:279).

=Canis lupus monstrabilis= Goldman

Gray Wolf

1937. _Canis lupus monstrabilis_ Goldman, Jour. Mamm., 18:42, February 11, type from 10 mi. S Rankin, Upton Co., Texas.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Probably extinct, recorded only from Matamoros (Goldman, 1944:468).

On the maps of distribution of _C. l. monstrabilis_ published by Leopold (1959:400) and Baker and Villa (1960:370), Tamaulipas is included in the region in which the wolf is considered to be extinct.

=Urocyon cineroargenteus scottii= Mearns

Gray Fox

1891. _Urocyon virginia.n.u.s scottii_ Mearns, Bull. Amer. Mus.

Nat. Hist., 3:236, June 5, type from Pinal Co., Arizona.

1895. _Urocyon cinereo-argenteus scottii_, J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 7:253, June.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--All of state in suitable habitats.

The specimen from the Sierra Madre Oriental was obtained by a collector who used a rabbit call. Leopold (1959:408) reported that the highest elevation [about 2800 feet] at which he found gray fox in Mexico was at Hacienda de Acuna, in the Sierra de Tamaulipas, where "dense, brushy draws and oak openings made ideal habitat." At this place Leopold saw, in early August, a family of foxes, four well-grown young and their parents. Dice (1937:250) reported _U. c. texensis_ (a junior synonym of _U. c. scottii_), as abundant in the Sierra San Carlos.

The six specimens examined do not present any significant difference in size and shape of the skull from specimens of _scottii_ from Arizona, except that one skull from the Sierra de Tamaulipas is smaller than the others, suggesting intergradation between the subspecies _scottii_ and _tropicalis_ from farther south.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 6: 2 mi. W San Fernando, 180 ft., 1; 15 km. W Rancho Santa Rosa, Sierra Madre Oriental, 4500 ft., 1; Ejido Santa Isabel, 2000 ft., 1; Sierra de Tamaulipas, 2 mi. S, 10 mi. W Piedra, 1200 ft., 2; Joya Verde, 35 km. SW Victoria, 3800 ft., 1.

Additional records: Near Marmolejo, San Carlos Mts. (Dice, 1937:250); Hacienda Acuna, Sierra de Tamaulipas (Leopold, 1959:408, only seen); La Joya de Salas (Goodwin, 1954:14).

=Ursus america.n.u.s eremicus= Merriam

Black Bear

1904. _Ursus america.n.u.s eremicus_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 17:154, October 6, type from Sierra Guadalupe, Coahuila.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Probably in high and remote parts of the Sierra Madre Oriental; recorded only from Agua Linda (Goodwin, 1954:14).

=Ba.s.sariscus astutus flavus= Rhoads

Ringtail

1894. _Ba.s.sariscus astutus flavus_ Rhoads, Proc. Acad. Nat.

Sci. Philadelphia, 45:417, January 30, type from Texas, exact locality unknown.

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

The two specimens examined provide the second record of this species in Tamaulipas; they were shot in the bottom of an arid canyon. One animal was about 30 feet up from the ground in an oak tree, and the other was along a small arroyo containing pools of water.

From Rhoads' paper (1893:416-417) on the genus _Ba.s.sariscus_ it would seem that _B. astutus flavus_ differs from _B. a. astutus_ in smaller size, especially of the skull, shorter tail (shorter than head and body in _flavus_ and longer than head and body in _astutus_) and the presence of fulvous color. Comparison of 10 specimens of _B. a. flavus_ from Coahuila and Texas with two of _B. a. astutus_ (Distrito Federal, 1; Las Vigas, Veracruz, 1) from central Mexico reveals that the skulls do not differ qualitatively and that the skull of _flavus_ tends to be smaller and relatively wider, but that there is overlap in size. In all _flavus_ that I measured and in the two adults of _astutus_ the tail is shorter than the head and body. The only real difference is the color; ringtails from Texas are deep fulvous instead of grayish as is _astutus_ from the Distrito Federal and Veracruz. But the specimen from Veracruz has much fulvous and on the other hand specimens from Coahuila are more grayish than those from Texas.

The two specimens from Tamaulipas can be a.s.signed to either subspecies _astutus_ or _flavus_ with almost equal propriety. Here they are referred to _B. a. flavus_ on the basis of their relatively small skull, short tail, and presence of some fulvous color.

_Measurements._--Measurements of female and male (60239, 60240), both adult, from Joya Verde, are, respectively: 745, 760; 370, 385; 70, 75; 47, 56; greatest length of skull (excluding incisors), 81.9, 83.1; zygomatic breadth, 46.1, 51.9; interorbital constriction, 16.3, 16.3; pos...o...b..tal constriction, 19.5, 18.5; breadth of braincase, 33.7, 36.6; length of maxillary tooth-row, 31.5, 32.0; breadth across pos...o...b..tal processes (tip to tip), 25.3, 26.8.

_Records of occurrence._--Two specimens examined from Joya Verde, 35 km. SW Victoria, 3800 ft.

Additional record: Joya de Salas (Goodwin, 1954:14).

=Procyon lotor=

Rac.o.o.n

Rac.o.o.ns occur all through the state. The one specimen examined was shot about 11:00 p. m. in a cypress tree. Its mouth contained fresh corn.

The animal was notably fat and weighed 11 pounds. According to the natives the rac.o.o.ns do much damage in cornfields.

=Procyon lotor fuscipes= Mearns

1914. _Procyon lotor fuscipes_ Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 27:63, March 20, type from Las Moras Creek, 1011 ft., Fort Clark, Kinney Co., Texas.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Practically all of state, except western part.

_Records_ (Goldman, 1950:51, unless otherwise noted): Camargo; Matamoros; Bagdad; Marmolego; Camp 2 (= 73 mi. S Was.h.i.+ngton Beach, Selander _et al._, 1962:338, recorded only two species); Gomez Farias (Goodwin, 1954:14); Altamira.

=Procyon lotor hernandezii= Wagler