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_On the Affinities of Leptarctus primus of Leidy._
By J. L. WORTMAN.
_AUTHOR'S EDITION, extracted from_
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY,
VOL. VI, ARTICLE VIII, pp. 229-231.
_New York, July 30, 1894._
Article VIII.--ON THE AFFINITIES OF LEPTARCTUS PRIMUS OF LEIDY.
By J. L. Wortman.
Up to the present time but very little has been known of the existence
of the peculiarly American family Procyonidae in any deposits older
than the very latest Quaternary. Leidy has described and figured[1] an
isolated last upper tooth, from the Loup Fork deposits of Nebraska,
under the name of _Leptarctus primus_, which has been referred to this
family. The Museum Expedition of last year into this region was
successful in obtaining additional material, which we provisionally
refer to Leidy's species.
=Leptarctus primus= _Leidy_.
The specimen consists of the right ramus of the lower jaw, carrying
the third and fourth premolars and the canine. The condyle is broken
away, but the coronoid process and the angle are preserved. The
specimen is from a young individual in which the last premolar had
just cut the gum. The alveoli of all the other teeth are present and
in a good state of preservation.
The dental formula is as follows: I._3, C._1, Pm._3, M._2. The
incisors are not preserved, but their alveoli indicate that they were
much crowded, the outside one being placed almost directly in front of
the canine, and the middle one pushed back considerably out of
position. This series is in marked contrast with that of the Raccoon,
in which the crowns of the incisors form almost a straight line across
the jaw, and the middle one is crowded backwards to a very slight
extent. The canine is peculiar and differs markedly from that of the
Raccoon. It is rather robust, very much recurved and grooved by a deep
vertical sulcus upon its antero-internal face. This sulcus is but
faintly indicated in the Raccoon. The postero-external face of the
crown is marked by a sharp ridge which becomes more prominent near the
apex. The first premolar is not preserved, but its alveolus indicates
that it was a single-rooted tooth, placed behind the canine after the
intervention of a very short diastema. The second premolar is
bifanged; its crown is composed of a principal cusp, to which is added
behind a small though very distinct second cusp. There is in addition
to these cusps a distinct basal cingulum, most prominent in the region
of the heel. The third premolar, like the second, is double rooted;
its crown moreover is made up of two cusps, the posterior being almost
as large as the principal one. These cusps do not stand in the line of
the long axis of the jaw, but are placed very obliquely to it. The
heel is not very prominent, but the basal cingulum is well developed,
both in front and behind. As compared with the Raccoon, the second
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