naturalists until the spring of 1903 when J. Friesser obtained an adult
female and juvenal male at Pérez for the collection of the United
States Bureau of Biological Survey. These specimens were tentatively
referred to _Mustela tropicalis_. In the following January, Edmund
Heller and Charles M. Barber obtained the adult male that was made the
type specimen by Elliot who did not see, or if he did, did not mention,
the specimens from Pérez. He did, however, refer a young female from
Xuchil, Veracruz, to his _Putorius macrophonius_. This young female is
here referred to _Mustela frenata tropicalis_.
The extent of the geographic range of this subspecies is not well
known.
_Mustela frenata macrophonius_ and _M. f. texensis_ are the largest
American weasels. The basilar length in the type specimen is greater by
one-tenth of a millimeter than in the type specimen of _M. f.
texensis_. The other cranial measurements taken are greater in _M. f.
texensis_. The skull of the female from Pérez is one of the largest
skulls examined of that sex. The juvenal male has teeth as large as
those of the type specimen and the skull is the largest for its age of
any seen. Although the skin of the female is understuffed and hence
does not provide reliable measurements, it shows that the female is
also large.
The white bands in front of the ears are confluent with the white patch
between the eyes on one side only in one specimen. It is the juvenal
male. These bands are not confluent with the color of the underparts
on either side in the female and on one side only in the adult male.
None of the specimens has a white patch between the ears. The dark spot
at each angle of the mouth is present only in the juvenile where it
occurs on each side. Of the three specimens, the juvenile is the
darkest and the adult male the lightest. The white facial markings are
most extensive in the juvenal male and the least extensive in the adult
female.
_M. f. macrophonius_ most closely resembles _M. f. goldmani_ but in the
relatively flattened braincase, deep constriction of the postorbital
region and general angularity of the skull approaches _M. f. perotae_
and _M. f. frenata_.
Only one of the three skulls, that of the female, shows evidence of
infestation of the frontal sinuses by parasites, and this did not
result in malformation of the interorbital region.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 3, all from México, listed by
localities from north to south.
=Veracruz.= Achotal, 1 (Field Mus. Nat. Hist.); Pérez, 2 (U. S.
Nat. Mus.).
=Mustela frenata tropicalis= (Merriam)
Long-tailed Weasel
Plates 25, 26, 27, 30, 37, 38 and 39
_Putorius tropicalis_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:30, pl. 3, figs.
5, 5a, 6, 6a, text fig. 16, June 30, 1896; Merriam, Proc. Biol.
Soc. Washington, 15:68, March 22, 1902.
_Putorius frenatus_, Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:27, June 30, 1896.
_Mustela tropicalis tropicalis_, Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
79:100, December 31, 1912; Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
35:99, April 28, 1916.
_Mustela frenata tropicalis_, Hall, Carnegie Instit. Washington
Publ. 473:109, November 20, 1936.
_Type._--Male, adult, skull and skin; no. 54994, U. S. Nat. Mus.,
Biol. Surv. Coll.; Jico, Veracruz, México; July 9, 1893; obtained
by E. W. Nelson; original no. 5195.
The skull (plates 25-27, 30) is complete. All the upper incisors,
except the second and third on the left side, are missing. The
right upper canine is broken. The skin is well made and in good
condition.
_Range._--Up to 5000 feet (as now known) in Tropical Life-zone of
Veracruz, México. See figure 29 on page 221.
_Characters for ready recognition._--Differs from _M. f. frenata_
and _M. f. perotae_ in least width of color of underparts not
exceeding 36 per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts
and in postorbital breadth exceeding length of upper molar and
premolar tooth-rows; from _M. f. macrophonius_ and _M. f. perda_
in least width of color of underparts averaging more than 29 per
cent of greatest width of color of upper parts; and from _M. f.
perda_ by longer tympanic bullae which in males are more than
14.9; and from _M. f. macrophonius_ by lesser basilar length (not
more than 48) and in postorbital breadth exceeding length of upper
molar and premolar tooth-row.
_Description._--_Size._--Male: The type specimen and no.
12764/11058, a subadult, from Jalapa, Veracruz, measure,
respectively, as follows: Total length, 444, 442; length of tail,
175, 160; length of hind foot, 50, 47. The tail is 65 and 57 per
cent as long as the head and body. The hind foot is more or less
than (approximately equal to) the basilar length.
Female: Merriam (1896:31) gives the measurements of a female
topotype (probably no. 54993, U. S. Nat. Mus., which has no
measurements written on the attached label) as: Total length, 333;
length of tail, 121; length of hind foot, 37. The length of the
tail amounts to 57 per cent of the length of the body. The length
of the hind foot of no. 54993, U. S. Nat. Mus. is the same as the
basal length.
The differences in external measurements between the male and the
female topotypes are: Total length, 111; length of tail, 54;
length of hind foot, 13.
_Externals._--As described in _Mustela frenata frenata_ except
that carpal vibrissae do not reach apical pad of fifth digit and
hairiness of foot soles is less.
_Color._--As described in _M. f. frenata_ except that: Blackish of
head extends half way or more from ears to shoulders; upper parts
near (14) Brussels Brown or slightly faded tone 2 of Maroon of
Oberthür and Dauthenay, pl. 341; underparts of juvenal pelage near
(_a_) Ochraceous-Buff. Least width of color of underparts
averaging (in three specimens from Jico and one from Jalapa) 34
(extremes 30-37) per cent of greatest width of color of
underparts. Black tip of tail, in two male topotypes, 57.5 (55 and
60) mm. long; thus longer than hind foot and in each individual
comprising 34 per cent of length of tail-vertebrae.
As compared with _M. f. frenata_: White facial markings slightly
less extensive; blackish (not black) of head extending onto neck;
upper parts slightly darker; ventral side of tail noticeably
darker; color of underparts more restricted, averaging
approximately one-third rather than nearly one-half width color of
upper parts; black tip of tail one-third rather than one-fourth
length of tail and much longer than hind foot. Similar differences
of lesser amount exist between _perotae_ and _tropicalis_. _M. f.
perda_, _macrophonius_ and _goldmani_ bear the opposite relation
to _tropicalis_. That is to say, in the latter: White facial
markings slightly more extensive; blackish of head less extended
over neck; upper parts markedly lighter; color of underparts less
restricted and black tip of tail shorter.
_Skull and teeth._--Male (based on type specimen and a subadult,
no. 11058, from Jalapa): See measurements and plates 25-27, 30. As
described in _Mustela frenata perda_ except that: Weight 4.7 (4.6
and 4.7) grams; basilar length 46.7 (45.5 and 47.8); zygomatic
breadth more or less than distance between condylar foramen and M1
or than between anterior palatine foramen and anterior margin of
tympanic bulla; least width of palate more than length of P4;
anterior margin of tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen
ovale as width of 4 (including I3) upper incisors; anterior margin
of masseteric fossa below middle of m2 or posterior to that tooth.
Female (based on no. 54993 and no. 1060): See measurements and
plates 37-39. As described in _Mustela frenata perda_ except that:
Weight (of 54993) 2.2 grams; basilar length, 37.5 (36.0-39.0);
zygomatic breadth more or less than distance between anterior
palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; least
width of palate more than greatest length of P4; height of
tympanic bulla equal to one-third to three-fourths of distance
from its anterior margin to foramen ovale.
The skull of the adult female is 53 per cent lighter than that of
the type specimen, a male.
Comparison of the skulls of males and females with those of _M. f.
perda_, the nearest relative, has been made in the discussion of that
subspecies. Some of the features that readily distinguish skulls of _M.
f. tropicalis_ from those of _M. f. frenata_, _perotae_ and
_macrophonius_ are as follows: Weight less than 4.8 grams; basilar
length less than 48; postorbital breadth more than length of upper M-Pm
tooth-row. The skulls of male _frenata_, _perotae_ and _macrophonius_
are much larger, heavier, and are decidedly more angular with more
constricted postorbital region the least width of which is less than
the length of the upper premolars. In _frenata_ the anterior margins of
the tympanic bullae are protruded much farther from the braincase. The
skull of the female of _M. f. tropicalis_ is smaller, weighing less
than 3 grams; basilar length less than 41; postorbital breadth more
than length of upper molar and premolar tooth-row.
_Remarks._--This subspecies was originally described by Merriam as a
full species. Later he described _Putorius tropicalis perdus_ as
another subspecies. Allen (1916) placed _P. t. perdus_ in synonymy but
named _Mustela tropicalis nicaraguae_ as new. In the present paper all
three forms are recognized but are regarded as only subspecifically
distinct from the other bridled weasels of México and Central America.
The limits of the geographic range of _tropicalis_ are fairly well
known on the south and west but the only specimen available from the
tropical coastal region north of Jico, is a young female from a point
50 miles south of Victoria. Thus, how far north along the coast it
ranges toward Matamoros, where _M. f. frenata_ occurs, is not known.
The three specimens from Jico, a young female from Jalapa and another
adult collected by J. Potts and labeled as coming from México City, are
assumed to be typical. The latter specimen certainly came from an
elevation lower than that of México City because _M. f. frenata_ occurs
there. Although the female from Jalapa, agrees well with specimens from
Jico, a male, no. 12764/11058, from Jalapa, has a relatively broader
skull, as in _perda_, although the tympanic bullae are short as in
_tropicalis_. The resemblances to _perda_ in features of coloration
are: slightly darker upper parts, and the termination just below the
knees of the color of the underparts. There are three specimens labeled
as from Orizaba that indicate intergradation with _perotae_ as does
also the coloration of the juvenal female from 5 kilometers north of
Jalapa. The specimens labeled as from Orizaba are old, poorly-prepared
skins, only two of which have partial skulls. The size and coloration
of the skins suggest _perotae_ as do also the partial skulls in some
respects although the skulls show greater resemblance to those of
_tropicalis_.
The topotype, female, no. 54993, was figured by Merriam (1896, fig. 16,
p. 31) along with that of what now is the type specimen of _M. f.
perotae_. Merriam called attention to the great difference in size
between the skulls of the two sexes of _M. f. tropicalis_ and compared
the condition to that found in _noveboracensis_. Although the skull of
the female from Jico is fully adult, it probably is exceptionally
small.
The young female from Xuchil is indistinguishable in coloration from
the juvenal female of _M. f. perotae_ from Perote, but in size of skull
and size of teeth is intermediate between the female of tropicalis from
Jalapa and the females from Cofre de Perote.
There is then, indication of intergradation with _M. f. perotae_ as
well as with _M. f. perda_. _M. f. tropicalis_ differs from _M. f.
perotae_ and _M. f. frenata_ in about the same way that _M. f. perda_
differs from _M. f. goldmani_ and _M. f. macrophonius_. _M. f.
tropicalis_ and _perda_ each is smaller and more intensely colored than
_goldmani_ and _macrophonius_, and inhabits the lowland to the east of
their highland relative.
At least five of the nine skulls have the frontal sinuses infested by
parasites.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 13, all from México, listed
by localities from north to south. Unless otherwise indicated
specimens are in the collection of the United States National
Museum.
=Tamaulipas.= 50 mi. S Victoria, 1[71]. Near? México City, 1.
=Veracruz.= Jico, 3; 5 km. N Jalapa, 1[90]; Jalapa, 2 (1[2],
1[75]); Xuchil, 1[60]; Orizaba, 4 (2[75], 1[4]).
=Mustela frenata perda= (Merriam)
Long-tailed Weasel
Plates 25, 26, 27, 30, 37, 38 and 39
_Putorius tropicalis perdus_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
15:67, March 22, 1902.
_Putorius (Gale) brasiliensis frenatus_, Coues, Fur-bearing
animals, p. 142, 1877 (part).
_Mustela tropicalis perda_, Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:100,
December 31, 1912.
_Mustela tropicalis tropicalis_, Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat.
Hist., 35:99, April 28, 1916.
_Mustela frenata perda_, Hall, Carnegie Instit. Washington Publ.
473:109, November 20, 1936.
_Type._--Male, subadult, skull and skin; no. 100041, U. S. Nat.
Mus., Biol. Surv. Coll.; Teapa, Tabasco, México; March 31, 1900;
obtained by E. W. Nelson and E. A. Goldman; original no., 14074.
The skull (plates 25-27, 30) is unbroken and all the teeth are
present and entire. The skin is well made and in good condition.
_Range._--Fifty feet (Chichén Itzá) to 4000 feet (San Vicente) in
Lower Tropical Life-zone south from southern Veracruz through
southern México into Guatemala. See figure 29 on page 221.
_Characters for ready recognition._--Differs from _M. f.
nicaraguae_ in lesser extent of color of underparts (not more than
22 per cent of greatest extent of color of upper parts), black tip
of tail more than 38 per cent of length of tail, and broader skull
(in adult males, mastoid breadth more than 23.9 and zygomatic
breadth more than 27.4); from _M. f. tropicalis_ in more
restricted color of underparts (least width of color of underparts
less than 28 per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts)
and shorter tympanic bullae, which in males are less than 15; from
_M. f. goldmani_ by total length not exceeding 489, least width of
color of underparts not exceeding 24 per cent of greatest width of
color of upper parts, weight of adult skull less than 5 grams and
basilar length less than 48.5.
_Description._--_Size._--Male: The type specimen and another
subadult from San Vicente, Chiapas, measure, respectively, as
follows: Total length, 473 and 443; length of tail, 184 and 169;
length of hind foot, 51 and 51.5. The tail is 62 and 64 per cent
as long as the head and body. The length of the hind foot is
greater than the basal length.
Female: Estimates made from the dried skin of no. 218036 are:
Total length, 375; length of tail, 140; length of hind foot, 40.
The hind foot of no. 65422 from Catemaco also measures 40.
The average differences in external measurements of the two sexes
are: Total length, 83; length of tail, 37; length of hind foot,
11.
_Externals._--As described in _Mustela frenata goldmani_ except
that hairiness of foot soles is slightly less.
_Color._--As described in _Mustela frenata goldmani_ except that:
back near (_n_) Argus Brown or Carbon Brown, tone 3, of Oberthür
and Dauthenay, pl. 342; underparts Ochraceous-Buff. Least width of
color of underparts, in four specimens, averaging 20 (extremes
18-22) per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts; black
tip of tail, in two subadult males, averaging 48 (extremes 46-49)
per cent of length of tail-vertebrae.
_Skull and teeth._--Male (based on type specimen and subadult no.
132997 from San Vicente): See measurements and plates 25-27, 30;
weight 4.4 grams (same for each); basilar length 45.7 (45.3 and
46.1); zygomatic breadth less than distance between condylar
foramen and M1 or than between anterior palatine foramen and
anterior margin of tympanic bulla; mastoid breadth less than
postpalatal length; postorbital breadth more or less than
(approximately equal to) length of upper premolars and greater
than width of basioccipital measured from medial margin of one
foramen lacerum posterior to its opposite; interorbital breadth
less than distance between foramen opticum and anterior margin of
tympanic bulla; breadth of rostrum not greater than length of
tympanic bulla; least width of palate less than length of P4;
anterior margin of tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen
ovale as width of 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 upper incisors; height of
tympanic bulla less than distance from its anterior margin to
foramen ovale; length of tympanic bulla more than length of lower
molar and premolar tooth-row and longer or shorter than rostrum;
anterior margin of masseteric fossa below middle of m2.
Female (based on two subadults, nos. 65422 and 218036): See
measurements and plates 36-39; weight, 2.4 (2.3-2.5) grams;
basilar length, 40.5 (40.4-40.6); zygomatic breadth less than
distance between condylar foramen and M1 or than between anterior
palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla;
postorbital breadth more than length of upper premolars or than
width of basioccipital measured from medial margin of one foramen
lacerum posterior to its opposite; least width of palate more than
outside length of P4 and less than inside length of same; anterior
margin of tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen ovale as
width of 5 or 6 upper incisors; height of tympanic bulla equal to
one-third to one-half distance from its anterior margin to foramen
ovale; length of tympanic bulla more than length of lower molar
and premolar tooth-row and more or less than (about equal to)
length of rostrum.
The skull of the female averages 48 per cent lighter than that of
the male.
Comparison of the skull of the male with that of _M. f. nicaraguae_ has
been made in the account of that subspecies. The skull of the male as
compared with that of _M. f. tropicalis_ has shorter tympanic bullae,
deeper braincase at anterior margin of basioccipital, lesser zygomatic
and palatal breadth and smaller P4 and m1. The skull of the female is
larger in every measurement taken except those reflecting width of the
preorbital portion. This part is actually narrower but probably mainly
because the females of _perda_ are younger than those of _tropicalis_.
Features in which three skulls of subadults of _M. f. perda_ differ
from the five adults of _M. f. goldmani_ and show no overlap are:
lesser basilar length, lesser weight, greater relative length of upper
tooth-rows, greater relative width of rostrum, greater relative length
of rostrum, lesser mastoid and zygomatic breadths, lesser width, length
and height of tympanic bullae; lesser outside length of P4 and greater
relative depth of braincase at anterior margin of basioccipital and at
posterior margin of M1. Features in which _perda_ averages less are:
length of tooth-rows, interorbital breadth, orbitonasal length,
relative zygomatic breadth, length of m1, outside and inside lengths of
P4, width and length of M1, and depth of skull at posterior margin of
M1. Features in which _perda_ averages more than _goldmani_ are:
relative interorbital breadth, relative mastoid breadth and depth of
skull at anterior margin of basioccipital. The length of the inner
half of M1 averages the same. As compared with _goldmani_, the skull of
the male of _perda_ is shorter, otherwise generally smaller, but
relatively broader except across the zygomatic arches, and relatively
deeper. The anterior margins of the tympanic bullae project slightly
less from the braincase and the squamosals immediately in front of
these bullae are slightly more convex ventrally.
_Remarks._--Described by Merriam in 1902 as a subspecies of _Putorius
tropicalis_, the form _perda_ was regarded by Allen (1916:99) as not
subspecifically distinct from _P. t. tropicalis_.
This is the eastern, lowland subspecies of the Tropical Life-zone,
corresponding to _M. f. goldmani_ of the higher mountains just as _M.
f. tropicalis_ corresponds to _M. f. frenata_ and _perotae_ of the high
mountains and table land. The difference in size between _perda_ and
_nicaraguae_ and between _perda_ and _tropicalis_ is slight. _M. f.
perda_ is slightly less richly colored than _M. f. nicaraguae_ but has
the color of the underparts more restricted and has a longer black tip
on the tail. In these respects it is second only to _M. f. panamensis_
among Central American weasels. Evidence of intergradation with
_goldmani_ is furnished by the specimens from Cobán, Guatemala, and the
nearby locality San Cristóbal in Verapaz, Guatemala. Reduced size as
compared with _goldmani_ suggests affinity with _perda_ but the greater
width of the light-colored underparts, which averages 24 (extremes
18-32) per cent of the greatest width of the color of the upper parts,
shows approach to _goldmani_. Farther north, in Chiapas, however,
specimens of _perda_ from San Cristóbal and San Vicente are readily
distinguishable from those of _goldmani_ taken a few miles away at
Pinabete and near Teopisca. The latter two localities are, however,
several thousand feet higher than San Cristóbal (Chiapas) and San
Vicente.
Two of the nine skulls (only 3 adult) examined for malformation of the
frontal sinuses reveal infestation by parasites.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 18, listed by localities from
north to south, and unless otherwise indicated in the United
States National Museum.
=Veracruz.= Catemaco, 1.
=Tabasco.= Teapa, 2 (1[7]).
=Chiapas.= San Cristóbal, 1; San Vicente, 1; no locality more
definite than state, 1.
=Yucatán.= Chichén-Itzá, 1[76].
=Guatemala=: Cobán, 2 (1[7], 1[4]); Finca la Providenci, S.
Cristóbal, Verapaz, 3[76]; central Guatemala, 1; no locality more
definite than Guatemala, 5 (2[7]).
=Mustela frenata nicaraguae= Allen
Long-tailed Weasel
Plates 1, 25, 26, 27 and 30
_Mustela tropicalis nicaraguae_ Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
35:100, April 28, 1916.
_Putorius tropicalis_, Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 24:661,
1908.
_Mustela frenata nicaraguae_, Hall, Carnegie Instit. Washington
Publ. 473:109, November 20, 1936.
_Type._--Male, subadult, skull and skin; no. 30754, Amer. Mus.
Nat. Hist., Matagalpa, Nicaragua; April 16, 1910; obtained by W.
B. Richardson; original no., 712.
The skull (plates 25-27, 30) of the type specimen lacks the entire
right zygomatic arch. Otherwise it is complete. The teeth all are
present and unbroken. The skin is complete and unfaded but only
partly stuffed.
_Range._--Honduras and Nicaragua. Altitudinal and zonal limits
unknown. See figure 29 on page 221.
_Characters for ready recognition._--Differs from _M. f.
costaricensis_ and _M. f. goldmani_ in shorter black tip of tail
(not more than 35 per cent of length of tail) and lesser width
(usually not more than 7 mm.) of tympanic bulla; from _M. f.
perda_ in greater extent of color of underparts (22 or more per
cent of greatest width of color of upper parts), shorter black tip
on tail (not more than 35 per cent as long as tail) and narrower
skull, the mastoid breadth in adult males being less than 23.9 and
the zygomatic breadth less than 27.
_Description._--_Size._--Male: Average and extreme measurements of
five subadults and one young (four from Matagalpa and one from San
Rafel del Norte) are: Total length, 450 (420-480); length of tail,
178 (150-190); length of hind foot, 48 (46-50). Tail averages 65
(extremes 56-69) per cent as long as head and body. Length of hind
foot (measurements from dried skins) more than basal length.
Female: Measurements unrecorded.
_Externals._--As described in _Mustela frenata goldmani_, except
that hairiness of foot soles (between that shown in figures 20 and
21) is less, slightly less even than in _M. f. perda_.
_Color._--As described in _Mustela frenata goldmani_ except that:
Back near (_n_) Argus Brown, or Carbon Brown, tone 4 of Oberthür
and Dauthenay, pl. 342. Underparts Ochraceous-Buff. Least width of
color of underparts, in four males, young, subadult and adult, 24
(extremes 22-26) per cent of greatest width of color of upper
parts; the corresponding per cent in one female is 32; black tip
of tail, in two subadult males, averaging 29 (extremes, 28-30) per
cent of length of tail-vertebrae; corresponding per cent in one
female, 36.