Comments on the Taxonomy and Geographic Distribution of Some North American RodentsHall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond)
Science
Comments on the Taxonomy and Geographic Distribution of Some North American Rodents
Hall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond)
Mammals -- North America; Rodents
When Hooper and Handley (Occas. Papers Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan,
514:1-34, October 29, 1948) published a revised map (_op. cit._:3)
showing the geographic distribution of the subspecies of _Liomys
irroratus_ they did not mention a specimen from Agusinapa, Guerrero,
which inferentially from their map would be _L. i. irroratus_ although
it previously had been recorded as _L. i. torridus_ by Goldman (N.
Amer. Fauna, 34:55, September 7, 1911). We have examined the specimen
(70228 BS), which retains the upper deciduous premolar. Its long foot
(32 mm.) and broad cranium (13 mm.) are the bases for identifying the
specimen as _Liomys irroratus irroratus_ instead of _L. i. minor_, which
is smaller.
~Liomys irroratus minor~ Merriam
When Hooper and Handley (Occas. Papers Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan,
514:1-34, October 29, 1948) published a revised map (_op. cit._:3)
showing the geographic distribution of the subspecies of _Liomys
irroratus_ they did not mention five specimens from Tlapa, Guerrero,
which inferentially from their map would be _L. i. irroratus_ although
these specimens previously had been recorded as _L. i. torridus_ by
Goldman (N. Amer. Fauna, 34:55, September 7, 1911). We have examined the
five specimens (70221-70225 BS), three of which retain the upper
deciduous premolars and two of which have the upper fourth premolar
unworn. The short, wide rostrum is unlike the long slender rostrum of
topotypes of _L. i. torridus_ of comparable age, and agrees with the
condition in topotypes of _L. i. minor_ of comparable age. It is on this
basis of wider rostrum that we refer the five specimens from Tlapa to
_Liomys i. minor_ which Hooper and Handley (_op. cit._:13) described as
differing from the geographically adjacent _L. i. irroratus_ in "short
and strongly tapered rostrum." We would add that we have not
independently verified this difference between _L. i. minor_ and _L. i.
irroratus_ for want of specimens of _L. i. irroratus_ comparable in age
to the five individuals from Tlapa.
The map of Hooper and Handley (_loc. cit._) inferentially excludes
Tlalixtaquilla, Guerrero, from the geographic range of _L. i. minor_
(and places Tlalixtaquilla within the range of _L. i. irroratus_)
although Goldman (_op. cit._:56) previously had identified specimens
from this place as _L. i. minor_. Our examination of the two immature
specimens (70227 and 70230 BS) from Tlalixtaquilla reveals that they
closely resemble the holotype of _L. i. minor_ and leads to the
conclusion that they are _Liomys irroratus minor_.
~Perognathus amplus pergracilis~ Goldman
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