_General characters._--Size medium; tail approximately same length
as head and body; aristiforms moderately wide; feet rather large;
ears of medium size; color on upper parts and sides sepia gradually
changing to Ochraceous-Tawny; few differentiated, light-colored
aristiforms present on outer thighs and rump; under surface of body
and inner sides of legs white; tail with white tip and conspicuous,
white pencil; feet white dorsally; skull short and smooth, somewhat
flattened in interorbital region; jugals narrow dorso-ventrally;
incisive foramen moderately long and notably narrow; vomerine
sheath complete and slender; postorbital process of zygoma
spinelike and involving mostly jugal; premolars usually with two
counterfolds; molars with only one counterfold, rarely two in M1 or
in M3.
_Remarks._--The specimens available are undoubtedly faded and,
therefore, the colors mentioned above for the upper parts and sides may
not correspond to the colors of unfaded pelages. Desmarest (1817:59)
describes the color of setosus as similar to that of the "Echimys de
Cayenne" (_Proechimys guyannensis_) but being more "rousse." Is.
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1840:52) describes the same animal as being
"d'un brun roussâtre" on the upper parts.
The _Proechimys_ from Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, _"Echimys" elegans_
Lund, is certainly related to _P. iheringi_ as well as to _P.
albispinus_. From _P. iheringi_, _elegans_ differs in having a smaller
skull with shorter rostrum, narrower incisive foramen, and orthodont
incisors. On the other hand the restricted distribution of the
aristiforms in the pelage and the white, penicillate tail are points of
resemblance to _iheringi_. From _P. albispinus_, _elegans_ differs in
having a less spinous pelage and longer tail with white pencil instead
of a brown pencil. The skulls, however, are similar, except for the fact
that _elegans_ does not have proodont incisors as _albispinus_ sometimes
does. Thomas (1921:141) states, after describing the skull of the type
of _setosus_, that "Specimens corresponding to this animal have been
obtained at Lagoa Santa, Minas, by Lund and others, and at Bahia."
Thomas, however, would not have referred to specimens from "Bahia" as
being comparable to _elegans_ had they not been different from
_albispinus_ which he discussed in the same paper. Also, he would not
have confused "specimens comparable to _elegans_" with a subspecies of
_P. iheringi_ (_P. i. denigratus_, from southern Bahia) which has
opisthodont instead of orthodont incisors. Since French collectors sent
material to Europe at the beginning of the 19th century from (southern?)
Bahia, possibly _setosus_ came from there.
In the collection of the American Museum of Natural History there is one
specimen (AMNH no. 16140) of _Proechimys_, included in the so-called
Maximilian Collection. The characters of this specimen agree closely
with those of the specimens from Lagoa Santa. The locality of capture of
specimen no. 16140 is unknown, but it is reasonable to assume that
Prince Maximilian zu Wied obtained it somewhere along his route of
travel through southeastern Bahia. Wied (1826:445) mentions
"_L[oncheres]. myosuros_ Licht." as "am Parahyba, am Peruhype und
Belmonte," which greatly increases the possibility of its having come
from southern Bahia. The close similarity to _elegans_ of Wied's
specimen indicates that the locality of capture possibly was in the
region of the less humid, low escarpments of southern Bahia.
My conclusion is that Wied's specimen corresponds closely to _setosus_
and, tentatively, I identify it as such. "_Echimys elegans_," due to the
relationships mentioned above is here considered to be a subspecies of
_setosus_.
Among the species described in earlier times, and whose identity was
never ascertained, _"Echinomys" fuliginosus_ Wagner seems to be
synonymous with _setosus_. Wagner describes the animal as having a tail
"apicis versus pilis albidis vestita" and the figure of the cheekteeth
(1844, pl. 239 D) shows a typical trilaminate condition which occurs
commonly in _elegans_. Moreover, the tail of _fuliginosus_ is only 9 per
cent shorter than the head and body and the aristiforms of this
subspecies are moderately wide.
=Proechimys setosus setosus= (Desmarest)
_Echimys setosus_ Desmarest (Geoffroy's MS), 1817, Nouv. Dict.
Hist. Nat. nouv. ed., 10:59 (orig. descr.); Is. Geoffroy
Saint-Hilaire, 1838, Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci., Paris, 6(26):886;
Is. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1840, Mag. Zool., Paris, (ser. 2, année
2):12, 33, 52; Allen, 1899, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
12(20):257, 261.
_Echimys cayennensis_ Pictet, 1841, Mém. Soc. phys. Hist. Nat.,
Genève, 9:145; Waterhouse, 1848, Nat. Hist. Mammalia, 2:334.
_Echinomys fuliginosus_ Wagner, 1843, Schreber's Säugethiere,
suppl. 3:343; Wagner, 1844, Schreber's Säugethiere, suppl. 4, pl.
39 D.
_Proechimys setosus_ Allen, 1899, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
12(20):264; Thomas, 1921, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 8 (ser. 9):141;
Tate, 1935, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 68(5):401; Ellerman,
1940, The families and genera of living rodents, Brit. Mus.
(Nat. Hist.), 1:122.
_Proechimys fuliginosus_ Tate, 1935, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
68(5): 400; Ellerman, 1940, The families and genera of living
rodents, Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), 1:119.
_Type locality._--Unknown; see remarks under _P. setosus_. _Type_:
Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, no. A. 7787 (Thomas, 1921:141),
"very imperfect."
_Diagnosis._--Aristiforms wide; P4 and M1 with two counterfolds;
p4 with two counterfolds, one anterior to main fold.
_Pelage._--_Aristiforms on middorsal region_: Gray basally,
gradually blackening toward tip; total length, 18 to 20 mm;
maximum width, 0.8 mm. _Aristiforms on outer thighs_: Color much
faded; total length, 15 to 17 mm; maximum width, 0.3 mm.
_Setiforms on middorsal region_: Color faded; total length, 16 to
18 mm; maximum width, 0.04 mm. _Setiforms on outer thighs_: Color
faded; total length, 10 to 13 mm; maximum width, 0.03 mm.
[Illustration: FIGS. 129-132. _Proechimys setosus elegans_, sex ?, UZM
no. L 104, Lagoa Santa. × 1.]
_Skull._--Short; rostrum short and stout; length of nasals
approximately 15 mm (broken); bullae roundish, smooth and
well-inflated; jugals dorso-ventrally narrow (3.1 mm) with strong
transverse ridge; postorbital process of zygoma spiniform, slender
and involving mostly jugal; incisive foramen narrow (3.8 x 1.7 mm)
and narrowest in posterior part; vomerine sheath complete;
posterior palatine foramina obsolete; mesopterygoid fossa extending
forward as far as middle of second molars.
_Teeth._--Incisors orthodont. P4 with two counterfolds; M1 with
two counterfolds but anterior one notably small; M2 and M3 with
only one counterfold each. In lower jaw: p4 with two counterfolds,
one anterior to main fold; molars with only one counterfold.
_Comparisons._--From _P. s. elegans_, _setosus_ differs in: M1 with
two counterfolds as opposed to only one; M3 with one counterfold
instead of sometimes with two counterfolds; p4 with one counterfold
anterior to main fold and another posterior, instead of both
counterfolds posterior.
_Remarks._--The measurements above were taken from the Maximilian
specimen mentioned above. Measurements of the type were given by
Desmarest as: head and body, 5-1/2 inches, tail about 6-1/2 inches. Is.
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1838:886) corrects these measurements to: head
and body 195 mm; tail (part missing), 170 mm.
=Proechimys setosus elegans= (Lund)
_E[chimys]. elegans_ Lund, 1841, Kong. Danske Videnskab. Selsk.
natur-vidensk. math. Afhandl., Kjöbenhavn, 8:99 (orig. descr.).
_Loncheres elegans_ Lund, 1841, Kong. Danske Videnskab. Selsk,
natur-vidensk. math. Afhandl., Kjöbenhavn, 8:245, 266, 294;
Wagner, 1843, Wiegman's Archiv f. Naturg., Berlin, 2 (Jahrg.
9):47.
_Echimys cayennensis_ Waterhouse, 1848, Nat. Hist., Mammalia,
2:337.
_Echinomys cajennensis_ Winge, 1888, Jordfundne og nulevende
Gnavere (Rodentia), E Museo Lundii, Kjöbenhavn, 1(3):71,
pl. 6, figs. 5-6, pl. 7, fig. 1.
_Proechimys setosus_ Thomas, 1921, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 8 (ser.
9):141.
_Proechimys elegans_ Tate, 1935, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
68(5):400; Ellerman, 1940, The families and genera of living
rodents, Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), 1:119.
_Type locality._--Lagoa Santa, _Nova Lima_, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
_Type_: Syntypes in Universitets Zoologiske Museum, Kjöbenhavn;
collected by P. W. Lund.
_Range._--Known only from the type locality.
_Diagnosis._--Aristiforms wide; P4 usually with two counterfolds;
M3 sometimes with two counterfolds; p4 with two counterfolds
anterior to main fold.
_Pelage._--_Aristiforms on middorsal region_: Gray basally,
gradually blackening toward tip; total length, 18 to 20 mm;
maximum width, 0.7 mm. _Aristiforms on outer thighs_: Gray
basally, gradually blackening toward tip which is Cinnamon; total
length, 15 to 17 mm; maximum width, 0.3 mm. _Setiforms on
middorsal region_: Whitish basally, gradually blackening toward
tip, but interrupted by Cinnamon, subapical zone; total length, 17
to 19 mm; maximum width, 0.04 mm. _Setiforms on outer thighs_:
Whitish basally, gradually blackening toward tip but interrupted
by near (15''_a_) Cinnamon, subapical zone; total length, 10 to 12
mm; maximum width, 0.03 mm.
_Skull._--Short; rostrum short but not stout; length of nasals 17
mm; bullae large, smooth, and well-inflated; jugals with
conspicuous, transverse ridge; postorbital process of zygoma long,
spiniform and constructed entirely of jugal; incisive foramen
narrow (4 × 1.7 mm); vomerine sheath complete and slender;
posterior palatine foramina obsolete; mesopterygoid fossa
extending anteriorly as far as middle parts of second molars.
_Teeth._--Incisors orthodont. P4 usually with two counterfolds,
rarely with three; upper molars with only one counterfold, but M3
sometimes with two, posterior one being vestigial. Lower
molariform teeth: p4 with two counterfolds, both being anterior to
main fold; molars with only one counterfold.
_Comparisons._--Differences from _P. s. setosus_ are given in the
account of that subspecies.
_Remarks._--According to Lund, these animals are found in the vicinity
of small pools, swim well in spite of not having webbed toes, at night
go after food and climb the corn stalks, and have their nests in the
grass at the margins of the pools.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 2 (UZM), from Brazil, Minas
Gerais, _Nova Lima_, Lagoa Santa.
=Proechimys albispinus= (Is. Geoffroy)
_General characters._--Size small; tail of same length as head and
body or slightly less; feet small; ears of medium size; color of
upper parts Ochraceous-Tawny gradually changing to Ochraceous-Buff
on sides; differentiated, light-colored aristiforms on back, sides,
rump and at base of tail; clavate aristiforms on back with
Ochraceous-Tawny or Ochraceous-Buff, subapical zone; underparts of
body and inner sides of legs white; tail blackish above, white
below, with no white tip; hands and feet white on dorsal parts and
some specimens darker on outer margins of feet; skull short and
smooth, somewhat flattened in frontal region; jugal dorso-ventrally
wide and with moderately conspicuous transverse ridge; postorbital
process of zygoma well developed and involving both jugal and
squamosal; bullae large and smooth; incisive foramen short and
narrow; vomerine sheath incomplete or complete; molariform teeth
with only one counterfold; incisors orthodont or proodont.
_Remarks._--A good series from Macaco Seco, Andaraí, Bahia, agrees
closely with the form first described (_albispinus_) from the Island
Madre de Deus, in Todos os Santos Bay, Bahia. Compared with topotypes of
_P. albispinus sertonius_, the animal from Macaco Seco in general color
is more Ochraceous-Tawny and has a narrower skull with orthodont
incisors. Specimens from Bonfim, northeastern Bahia, on the other hand,
agree with Thomas' _albispinus sertonius_, from Lamarão, being browner
and having broader skulls than _P. a. albispinus_ and having proodont,
instead of orthodont, incisors. The range of each of the two subspecies
is, therefore, fairly extensive. The insular form extends to the less
rainy, continental area and the form from Lamarão ranges northward (NNW)
in the same type of highly deciduous forest, the "caatinga."
The species _albispinus_ is certainly the most specialized form of the
entire genus for drier habitats. In addition to the general adaptations
described above, it is noteworthy for having both lanceolate and clavate
aristiforms. The latter type has a wide basal part and an abruptly
narrowed, distal part. The same development is seen in the genus
_Echimys_, where highly spinous forms, like _Echimys paleacea_
(Lichtenstein), show the same two types of aristiforms.
[Illustration: FIGS. 133, 135. _Proechimys albispinus albispinus_, male,
CNHM no. 20409, Macaco Seco. × 1.]
[Illustration: FIGS. 134, 136. _Proechimys albispinus sertonius_, male,
MN no. 6454, Bonfim. × 1.]
[Illustration: FIGS. 137, 138. _Proechimys albispinus albispinus_, male,
CNHM no. 20409, Macaco Seco. × 1.]
[Illustration: FIGS. 139, 140. _Proechimys albispinus sertonius_, male,
MN no. 6454, Bonfim. × 1.]
=Proechimys albispinus albispinus= (Is. Geoffroy)
_Echimys albispinus_ Is. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 25 June 1838,
Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci., Paris, 6(26):886; Is. Geoffroy, August,
1838, Ann. Sci. Nat., Paris, 10 (ser. 2):125; Is. Geoffroy,
1840, Mag. Zool., Paris (ser. 2, année 2, livr. 13):33, 53, pl. 26,
pl. 29 (figs. 1, 2, 3); Allen, 1899, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
12(20):261.
_Echinomys fuliginosus_ Wagner, 1843, Schreber's Säugethiere,
suppl., 3:343.
_Echimys albispinosus_ Waterhouse, Nat. Hist., Mammalia, 2:341.
_Proechimys albispinus_ Allen, 1899, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
12(20):264; Thomas, 1911, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 8 (ser. 8):252.
_Proechimys albispinus albispinus_ Thomas, 1921, Ann. Mag. Nat.
Hist., 8 (ser. 9):141; Tate, 1935, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
68(5):401; Ellerman, 1940, The families and genera of living
rodents, Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), 1:122.
_Type locality._--Ilha Madre de Deus, _Itaparica_ (near Salvador),
Bahia, Brazil. _Type_: Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, no. A
7669, "skull ... practically perfect" (Thomas, 1921:142).
_Range._--Island Madre de Deus, Macaco Seco, Andaraí and probably
islands of the bay of Todos os Santos and valley of the Paraguassú
River.
_Diagnosis._--Aristiforms wide; color on setiforms
Ochraceous-Tawny on upper parts and sides; incisors orthodont;
molariform teeth with one counterfold, p4 rarely with two.
_Pelage._--_Aristiforms on middorsal region_: Lanceolate
aristiforms, with basal part whitish, gradually blackening toward
tip; total length, 25 to 28 mm; maximum width, 1.2 mm; clavate
aristiforms with base whitish, gradually blackening toward tip but
interrupted by Ochraceous-Tawny, subapical zone. _Aristiforms on
outer thighs_: Whitish on basal half, gradually blackening toward
tip; total length, 24 to 26 mm; maximum width, 0.9 mm. Some are
whitish basally, gradually blackening toward distal part but
distal fourth or fifth near (15'_j_) Ochraceous-Tawny. _Setiforms
on middorsal region_: Whitish basally, gradually blackening toward
tip but interrupted by Ochraceous-Tawny, subapical zone; total
length, 20 to 23 mm; maximum width, 0.1 mm. Some setiforms almost
completely whitish. _Setiforms on outer thighs_: Whitish basally,
gradually blackening toward tip but interrupted by near (15'_j_)
Ochraceous-Tawny, subapical zone; total length, 18 to 20 mm;
maximum width, 0.06 mm.
_Skull._--Narrow; bullae small and smooth; jugals dorso-ventrally
wide with conspicuous transverse ridge; postorbital process of
zygoma well-developed and formed by jugal and squamosal; posterior
palatine foramina obsolete; incisive foramen narrow and short;
vomerine sheath complete or incomplete but premaxillary part at a
level lower than that of maxillary part (when skull is viewed from
ventral face); mesopterygoid fossa extending forward as far as
anterior borders of second molars.
_Teeth._--Incisors orthodont; molariform teeth with only one
counterfold, except that p4 rarely has two counterfolds.
_Comparisons._--From _P. a. sertonius_, _albispinus_ differs in:
sides of body darker; incisors orthodont as opposed to proodont;
p4 rarely with two counterfolds instead of always with one
counterfold.
_Remarks._--The localities where _P. a. albispinus_ has been collected
have a forest climax with a moderate percentage of deciduous trees.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 19 (18 CNHM, 1 MCZ), from
Brazil, Bahia, _Andaraí_, Macaco Seco.
=Proechimys albispinus sertonius= Thomas
_Proechimys albispinus sertonius_ Thomas, July, 1921, Ann. Mag.
Nat. Hist., 8 (ser. 9):142 (orig. descr.); Tate, 1935, Bull. Amer.
Mus. Nat. Hist., 68(5):401; Ellerman, 1940, The families and genera
of living rodents, Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), 1:122.
_Type locality._--Lamarão ("about 70 miles north of Bahia City"),
_Ituiutaba_, Bahia, Brazil; altitude 300 meters. _Type_: British
Museum (Nat. Hist.), no. 3.9.5.86, adult male; collected on 16
June, 1903, by Alphonse Robert; original number, 1508.
_Range._--Known from the type locality and Bonfim; probably
occupies valleys of Jacuipe and the Itapicurú rivers and littoral
between them.
_Diagnosis._--Aristiforms wide; color of setiforms
Ochraceous-Tawny on back, grading to Ochraceous-Buff on sides;
incisors proodont; no molariform tooth with more than one
counterfold.
_Pelage._--_Aristiforms on middorsal region_: Lanceolate
aristiforms whitish basally, gradually blackening toward tip;
total length, 23 to 27 mm; maximum width, 1.3 mm. Clavate
aristiforms, and some lanceolate ones, whitish basally, gradually
blackening toward tip but interrupted by Ochraceous-Tawny,
subapical zone. Some clavate aristiforms without subapical zone
but blackened in distal part; total length, 23 to 24 mm; maximum
width, 0.7 mm. _Aristiforms on outer thighs_: Whitish basally,
gradually blackening toward tip but interrupted by Light
Ochraceous-Buff, subapical zone; tip slightly darker; some whitish
basally, grayish in middle and light yellowish toward tip; total
length, 20 to 22 mm; maximum width, 0.9 mm.
_Setiforms on middorsal region_: Whitish basal part succeeded by
grayish, then by long, light, yellowish band, which becomes Light
Ochraceous-Buff, and blackish tip; total length, 26 to 29 mm;
maximum width, 0.15 mm. _Setiforms on outer thighs_: Whitish basal
part succeeded by grayish, then Light Ochraceous-Buff, subapical
zone and blackish tip; total length, 18 to 20 mm; maximum width,
0.13 mm.
_Skull._--Broad; bullae small and smooth; jugals dorso-ventrally
"wide," with conspicuous transverse ridge; postorbital process of
zygoma well-developed and formed by both jugal and squamosal;
incisive foramen narrow and short; vomerine sheath incomplete or
complete but premaxillary part on a lower level than maxillary
part (when skull is viewed from ventral face); mesopterygoid fossa
extending forward as far as anterior faces of second molars.
_Teeth._--Incisors proodont; molariform teeth with only one
counterfold.
_Comparisons._--Differences from _P. a. albispinus_ are given in
the account of that subspecies.
_Remarks._--Localities where samples were collected are typical
"caatinga" forest, a climax of mainly deciduous trees; cacti are also
common in the region.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 10, from Brazil, Bahia, as
follows: _Ituiutaba_, Lamarão, 4 (1 DZ, 1 CNHM, 1 MCZ, 1 USNM);
_Bonfim_, Bonfim, 6 (5 DZ, 1 MN).