A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha Part 5

Sylvilagus idahoensis (Merriam)

Pigmy Rabbit

1891. _Lepus idahoensis_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 5:76, July 30, type from head of Pahsimeroi Valley, near Goldburg, Custer County, Idaho (Davis, Recent Mammals of Idaho, p. 363, April 9, 1939).

1930. _Sylvilagus idahoensis_, Grinnell, Dixon and Linsdale, Univ.

California Publ. Zool., 35:553, October 10.

_Marginal records._--In southeastern Was.h.i.+ngton: Ritzville (Taylor and Shaw, 1929:29); Lind (243344 USBS); Warden (Taylor and Shaw, 1929:29). In remainder of range: Montana: Bannack (Davis, 1937:27).

Idaho: Trail Creek near Pocatello (Davis, 1939:366). Utah: 3 mi. NE Clarkson (Durrant, MS); W side Utah Lake (_ibid._); 20 mi. W Parowan (_ibid._); 10 mi. SW Cedar City (_ibid._). Nevada: 8 mi. NE Sharp (Hall, 1946:618); Fallon (Schantz, 1947:187). California: Bodie (Severaid, 1950:2); 5000 ft., 3 mi. S Ravendale (Orr, 1940:194).

Oregon: Silver Lake (Bailey, 1936:110, fig. 17, 206518 USBS); Fremont (_ibid._, 205005 USBS); Redmond (_ibid._, 242302 USBS); 10 mi. N Baker (Dice, 1926:27). Idaho: type locality; Junction (Davis, 1939:366).

Total length, 250-290; tail, 20-30; hind foot, 65-72; ear from notch (dry), 36-48; weight, 6 ? 409(375-435), 9 ? 398(246-458) grams.

Upper parts pinkish to blackish or dark grayish depending on amount of wear. The pigmy rabbit lives in burrows, mostly dug by itself, preferably where tall sagebrush grows densely. This species feeds extensively on sagebrush, at least in winter. Six young seem to be the rule and they are born any time from late in May until early in August.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 7. Distribution of _Sylvilagus idahoensis_.]

Subgenus SYLVILAGUS Gray--Cottontails and Allies

1867. _Sylvilagus_ Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 20 (ser. 3):221.

Type, _Lepus sylvaticus_ Bachman [= _Lepus nuttalli mallurus_ Thomas].

1867. _Tapeti_ Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 20 (ser. 3):224, September. Type _Lepus brasiliensis_ Linnaeus.

1897. _Microlagus_ Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium ..., p. 660.

Type, _Lepus cinerascens_ J. A. Allen.

1897. _Limnolagus_ Mearns, Science, n. s., 5:393, March 5. Type _Lepus aquaticus_ Bachman.

1950. _Paludilagus_ Hershkovitz, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 100:333, May 26. Type _Lepus pal.u.s.tris_ Bachman.

Characters of subgeneric worth, in contrast to those of the subgenus _Brachylagus_, are: First premolar, in upper jaw and in lower jaw, with more than one fold in the enamel; infolded enamel, which divides each molar tooth into two parts, crenate.

The many nominal species of the subgenus _Sylvilagus_ belong to no more than 12 and perhaps to only ten full species. The now more abundant specimens than were available a half century ago reveal also that there are less trenchant differences between some of the species than were supposed to exist when the five names for genera or subgenera listed immediately above were proposed. Some species can be placed in each of two subgenera with almost equal propriety. If used, four of the five subgeneric names mentioned above would contain only one species each. It seems that no useful purpose is served by attempting to fit the several species of the genus _Sylvilagus_ into more than the two subgenera _Brachylagus_ and _Sylvilagus_; the other names, _Tapeti_ Gray, _Microlagus_ Trouessart, _Limnolagus_ Mearns, and _Paludilagus_ Hershkovitz, are here arranged as synonyms of the subgeneric name _Sylvilagus_ Gray.

Sylvilagus brasiliensis

Forest Rabbit

Total length, 380-420; tail, 20-21; hind foot, 77-80; ear from notch (dry), 39-46. The princ.i.p.al characters of this species are small size, dark color, short tail, and dingy buffy (not white) undersurface of the tail. These rabbits rest in forests or other thick vegetative cover and do not venture far from such cover to feed.

SYLVILAGUS BRASILIENSIS CONSOBRINUS Anthony.

1917. _Sylvilagus gabbi consobrinus_ Anthony, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat.

Hist., 37:335, May 28, type from Old Panama, Panama. Known from type locality only.

1950. _Sylvilagus brasiliensis consobrinus_, Hershkovitz, Proc. U.

S. Nat. Mus., 100:353, May 26.

SYLVILAGUS BRASILIENSIS DICEI Harris.

1932. _Sylvilagus dicei_ Harris, Occas. Papers Univ. Michigan, Mus.

Zool., 248:1, August 4, type from 6000 ft., El Copey de Dota, in the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica.

1950. _Sylvilagus brasiliensis dicei_, Hershkovitz, Proc. U. S. Nat.

Mus., 100:352, May 26.

_Marginal records._--Costa Rica (Goodwin, 1946:359); Rancho de Rio Jimenez; Juan Vinas; type locality; _San Jose_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 8. Distribution of _Sylvilagus brasiliensis_.

1. _S. b. truei_ 2. _S. b. gabbi_ 3. _S. b. dicei_ 4. _S. b. consobrinus_ 5. _S. b. messorius_ 6. _S. b. incitatus_ ]

SYLVILAGUS BRASILIENSIS GABBI (J. A. Allen).

1877. _Lepus brasiliensis_ var. _gabbi_ J. A. Allen, Monogr. N.

Amer. Rodentia, p. 349, August, type locality Costa Rica and Chiriqui; restricted by Nelson (N. Amer. Fauna, 29:259, August 31, 1909), by designation of type specimen, to Talamanca [= Sipurio, Rio Sixaola, near Caribbean Coast], Costa Rica.

1950. _Sylvilagus brasiliensis gabbi_, Hershkovitz, Proc. U. S. Nat.

Mus., 100:351, May 26.

1908. _Lepus gabbi tumacus_ J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat.

Hist., 24:649, October 13, type from Tuma, Nicaragua.

_Marginal records._--Honduras: San Pedro Sula (Nelson, 1909:261); to Gulf Coast and southward along coast to Panama Ca.n.a.l, Panama: Gatun (Goldman, 1920:146); Corozal (_ibid._); Gobernador Island (_ibid._); Divala (_ibid._); _Chiriqui_ (Goodwin, 1946:358). Northward east of the range of _S. b. dicei_, thence westward in Costa Rica: Vijaqual, San Carlos (Goodwin, 1946:358). Nicaragua: Matagalpa (Allen, 1910:96); Ocotal (_ibid._). Honduras: San Jose, Santa Barbara (Goodwin, 1942:151).

SYLVILAGUS BRASILIENSIS INCITATUS (Bangs).

1901. _Lepus_ (_Tapeti_) _incitatus_ Bangs, Amer. Nat., 35:633, August, type from San Miguel Island, Bay of Panama. Known from type locality only.

1950. _Sylvilagus brasiliensis incitatus_, Hershkovitz, Proc. U. S.

Nat. Mus., 100:352, May 26.

SYLVILAGUS BRASILIENSIS MESSORIUS Goldman.

1912. _Sylvilagus gabbi messorius_ Goldman, Smiths. Misc. Coll. 60 (no. 2):13, September 20, type from Cana, 1800 ft., mts. of eastern Panama.

1950. _Sylvilagus brasiliensis messorius_, Hershkovitz, Proc. U. S.

Nat. Mus., 100:352, May 26.

_Marginal records._--Panama (Goldman, 1920:147): Boca de Cupe; _Tacarcuna_; _Tapalisa_; type locality.

SYLVILAGUS BRASILIENSIS TRUEI (J. A. Allen).

1890. _Lepus truei_ J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 3:192, December 10, type from Mirador, Veracruz.