A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha Part 6

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

Mus., 100:351, May 26.

_Marginal records_ (Nelson, 1909:264, unless otherwise noted).--San Luis Potosi: Rancho Apetsco, Xilitla (Dalquest, 1950:4), thence down coast to Tabasco: Teapa. Chiapas: Huehuetan. Oaxaca: Santo Domingo.

Veracruz: Buena Vista; Motzorongo. Puebla: Metlaltoyuca.

=Sylvilagus bachmani=

Brush Rabbit

Size small. Total length, 300-375; tail, 20-43; hind foot, 64-81; ear from notch (dry), 50-64; weight (topotypes of _S. b. macrorhinus_) 16 ?

679 (561-832), 22 ? 707 (517-843) grams. Body uniformly dark brown or brownish gray, but tail whitish beneath; hair on midventral part of body gray at base; only a slight crenulation of ridge of enamel which separates an individual molariform tooth into anterior and posterior sections. From _Sylvilagus audubonii_, the only other species of _Sylvilagus_ in the same geographic area, _S. bachmani_ differs in smaller size, less white on underparts (the hairs on the midventral part of the body being gray instead of white at base), shorter ears and legs, and a less crenulated ridge of enamel separating the anterior and posterior parts of a molariform tooth.

The brush rabbit is a Pacific Coastal species; as may be seen from figure 9 on the next page, this species occurs from the Columbia River on the north to the tip of Baja California on the south. Nowhere, so far as I can learn, does it occur as far east as the crest of the Cascade-Sierra Nevada Mountain Chain. Throughout its range the brush rabbit is closely a.s.sociated with--in fact, lives in--the chaparral that is dense enough to afford protection from raptorial birds and the larger carnivorous mammals. The rabbit's reliance on protective cover is so great that, as pointed out on an earlier page, a person can turn this trait to advantage in protecting cultivated crops from inroads that the rabbits might make on them. The protection is afforded by clearing the brush from a strip forty-five feet wide so that the cleared strip intervenes between the cultivated crops and the brushy shelter. The rabbits will not risk crossing the open strip and hence do not reach the growing crops.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 9. Distribution of _Sylvilagus bachmani_ and _Sylvilagus mansuetus_.

1. _S. b. ubericolor_ 2. _S. b. tehamae_ 3. _S. b. macrorhinus_ 4. _S. b. riparius_ 5. _S. b. mariposae_ 6. _S. b. bachmani_ 7. _S. b. virgulti_ 8. _S. b. cinerascens_ 9. _S. b. rosaphagus_ 10. _S. b. howelli_ 11. _S. b. exiguus_ 12. _S. b. peninsularis_ 13. _S. b. cerrosensis_ 14. _S. mansuetus_ ]

Brush rabbits use simple "forms" in the brush for resting. Only one observer (Orr, 1940: 173) has reported an individual entering a hole. In patches of chaparral in which the rabbits live they make runways that are especially well defined at the edges of the brush. The outer entrance to a runway is tunnellike and one to two feet from the outer entrance there is a special form that serves as a lookout post. A brush rabbit that is about to venture into the open ordinarily pauses in such a form for several minutes, presumably to satisfy itself that no enemy is in the open area whither the rabbit is bound.

The breeding season is from January to June, at least in California.

There are 2 to 5 young, averaging 3.5 per litter. They are born in a nest.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI BACHMANI (Waterhouse).

1839. _Lepus bachmani_ Waterhouse, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Pt. 6 (for 1838):103, February 7, type from California, probably between Monterey and Santa Barbara.

1904. _Sylvilagus_ (_microlagus_) _bachmani_, Lyon, Smiths. Misc.

Coll., 45:336, June 15.

1855. _Lepus trowbridgei_ Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 333, type from Monterey County, California.

_Marginal records._--California (Orr, 1940:150): 2 mi. S mouth Salinas River; near Morro.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI CERROSENSIS (J. A. Allen).

1898. _Lepus cerrosensis_ J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 10:145, April 12, type from Cerros [=Cedros] Island, Baja California. Known from type locality only.

1909. _Sylvilagus bachmani cerrosensis_, Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:255, August 31.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI CINERASCENS (J. A. Allen).

1890. _Lepus cinerascens_ J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 3:159, October 8, type from San Fernando, Los Angeles County, California.

1907. _Sylvilagus bachmani cinerascens_, Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 20:84, July 22.

_Marginal records._--California (Orr, 1940:168): 5700 ft., San Emigdio Canyon; 3 mi. E San Fernando; Reche Canyon (Orr, 1940:169); 3500 ft., Dos Palmas Springs, Santa Rosa Mts. Baja California (Nelson, 1909:253): La Huerta, thence northward up-coast to point of beginning.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI EXIGUUS Nelson.

1907. _Sylvilagus bachmani exiguus_ Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 20:84, July 22, type from Yubay, central Baja California.

_Marginal records._--Baja California (Nelson, 1909:254): Agua Dulce; Santana.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI HOWELLI Huey.

1927. _Sylvilagus bachmani howelli_ Huey, Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat.

Hist., 5:67, July 6, type from 10 mi. SE Alamo, Baja California, lat. 31 35' N, long. 116 03' W.

_Marginal records._--Baja California (Huey, 1927:68): Laguna Hanson, Sierra Juarez; type locality.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI MACRORHINUS Orr.

1935. _Sylvilagus bachmani macrorhinus_ Orr, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 48:28, February 6, type from Alpine Creek Ranch, 3 mi. S and 2-1/3 mi. E Portola, 1700 ft., San Mateo County, California.

_Marginal records._--California (Orr, 1940:163): 10 mi. SW Suisun; W side Mt. Diablo; Summit Station, Santa Cruz Mts., thence north along coast to Golden Gate.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI MARIPOSAE Grinnell and Storer.

1916. _Sylvilagus bachmani mariposae_ Grinnell and Storer, Univ.

California Publ. Zool., 17:7, August 23, type from McCauley Trail, 4000 ft., near El Portal, Mariposa County, California.

_Marginal records._--California (Orr, 1940): Carbondale (p. 158); French Gulch, 6700 ft., Piute Mtn. (p. 159).

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI PENINSULARIS (J. A. Allen).

1898. _Lepus peninsularis_ J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 10:144, April 12, type from Santa Anita, Baja California.

1909. _Sylvilagus bachmani peninsularis_, Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:255, August 31.

_Marginal records._--Baja California (Nelson, 1909:255): type locality; Cape San Lucas.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI RIPARIUS Orr.

1935. _Sylvilagus bachmani riparius_ Orr, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 48:29, February 6, type from west side San Joaquin River, 2 mi. NE Vernalis, in Stanislaus County, California. Known from type locality only.

SYLVILAGUS BACHMANI ROSAPHAGUS Huey.

1940. _Sylvilagus bachmani rosaphagus_ Huey, Trans. San Diego Soc.

Nat. Hist., 9:221, July 31, type from 2 mi. W Santo Domingo Mission, Baja California, Mexico, lat. 30 45' N, long. 115 58'

W, or precisely, near the huge red cliff that marks the entrance of the Santo Domingo River Canon from the coastal plain.

_Marginal records._--Baja California (Huey, 1940): San Quintin (p.

223); El Rosario (p. 222).