A new dormouse from Italy

VOL. XIV, PP. 39-40

APRIL

25, 1901

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

A NEW DORMOUSE FROM ITALY.*

BY GERRIT

S.

MILLER,

^JR.

Among

^the

^mammals

^{collected in} Italy

during

^the

summer

of

1900 by Mr. Dane _Coolidge

are five

specimens

^of

an Eliomys

related to

E.

_quercimts

but

_differing

from

itin*thecolor pattern of the tail

and

ⁱⁿ the general coloration of the

body.

^{It is}

not

closely^alliedtotheSicilian

Eliomys

pallidus

Barrett-Hamilton,

so far as

can be determined from

the description of the ^latter.

Eliomys

cincticauda _sp. nov.

Type. Adult male(skinand_skull) No.103,030UnitedStatesNational

Museum.

Collected at Sorrento, near _{Naples, Italy,}

May

^{31, 1900} by

Dane

_{Coolidge. Original}

number

1118.

Characters. Size

and

_{general appearance}as in Eliomys quercinus,but dorsal surface _light wood-brown,

and

tail completely ^encircled by ^the black subterminal area. Lineof demarkation en sides sharply defined

and

asconspicuous ^{as in E.}quercinus. Skull

and

teethnot peculiar.

Color. Entireupperparts

wood-brown

_{(slightlypaler} than Ridgway's

pi. Ill, fig. 19) brighteston head and on middle of back, inconspicuous lysprinkledwith blackish_hairs,

and

lightened across shoulders

and

on sidesby ^{asuffusion of} pale ecru-drab.

The

individual hairs aremostly slate-gray

(Ridgway

pi. II, fig. 5)through ^alittle

more

than basal _half, thenpale ecru-drab^for avarying distance, followed by

wood-brown

at tip.

Among

^{the hairsof thiskindare}scattered longer ones thatappear to be blackish throughout.

The

varying width ^{of the} ecru-drab

and

*Published here by permission ^of the Secretary ^of the Smithsonian Institution.

8-BioL. Soc. WASH. _{VOL. XIV,} 1901. (39)

40

Miller

A New Dormouse from

^Italy.

wood-brown

areas cause the_slightdifferences in color of the back

and

sides. Colorof sidescontinued

down

outersideof hind_{leg to}heel

and

outerside offront _legnearly^{to wrist.} Underpartswhitish cream-color, theline of demarkation everywhere sharply defined

and

the contrasts conspicuous. Black face markings exactly ^{as in} Eliomys quercinus.

Tail sharply bicolor frombasetoa little

beyond

middle,

creamy

^white below,

wood-brown mixed

with white above. Slightly

beyond

^middle thereisarathersudden change both above

and

below to black. This colorcontinuesuninterrupted^{fora distance of} about 20

mm.

on lower side

and

_{on upper}side to base of terminal, nearly ^clear white _pencil.

The

entirewhite area_{at tip of} tail isabout 10

mm.

ⁱⁿlength above

and

30

mm.

below.

While

theblackof the upper surface extends further back thanthat below, the reverse^istrueofthatoftheunder side of the tail. This

shows

a distinct tendency^to run forward _{along the}

median

lineanddividethewhite areainto

two

lateral stripes. Feetdullwhite.

Earsthinlysprinkledwith minute whitishhairs.

Skutt

and

teeth. I canfindno _tangible characters to distinguish the skullandteethfrom thoseofEliomysquercinus.

Measurements. External

measurements

of type: ^total length, ^249;

head and _body, 13G; ^tail vertebrae, 108; hindfoot, 29 _(28).

A

second specimen (^) fromthe typelocality: totallength,254;head

and

body, 147;

tail vertebrae, 107; hind foot, 30 _(29).

The

hind foot in each of

two

other topotypesmeasures³⁰(29).

One

ofthese specimens^isafemale.

Cranial

measurements

of type: greatest length, 34; basal length, 29;

basilar length, 26.4; greatest length ^{of nasals, 12.4;} greatest width of bothnasals together, 4.4;

median

palatal length, ^12.8; greatestbreadth of palate between _toothrows, 4; diastema, 8; zygomatic breadth, ^19;

least interorbitalbreadth, 4.6; breadthof braincaseaboverootsof zygo mata, ^14.8; mastoid _breadth, 16.6; least depth ^of rostrum behind inci sors, 6; distance from middle of parietal tolower edge ^{of audital}bulla, 13.2; mandible, 17; maxillarytoothrow_(alveoli), 5.4; mandibulartooth-

row

(alveoli), 5.2. Anotherskull (male) ^is

somewhat

larger; greatest length, ^36; basal length, ^31; maxillary toothrow, ^5.8.

Specimens examined. Five, allfrom_{the type locality.}

Remarks. Aside from the different color pattern ^of the tail this animaldiffersfrom Eliomysquercinus ⁱⁿ the strong

wood-brown

of the upperparts

and

_{the very}distinct

cream

color ofthe ventral surface. In E. quercinus the underparts ^are clear white _{slightly tinged} with _blue, whilethewhiteof thetailisall pure. ^In the Italian animal _{the only}

marking

^that approaches pure white is the terminal areaof the tail.

From

Eliomyspallidus^thisspeciesdiffers in the

brown

(not "light

pow

dery-looking gray") underparts, ^distinct black head markings, sharp line ofdemarkation _alongsides,

and

asthe description containsnorefer ence tothecolorpattern^of tail, probably^{in thischaracteras well.}