A new rabbit from Margarita Island, Venezuela

Vol. XII. pp. 97-98 April _30, 1898

PROCEEDINGS

OK THE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

A NEW RABBIT FROM MARGARITA _ISLAND, VENEZUELA.*

BY GERRIT

S.

MILLER,

JR.

The small

collection of

mammals taken on _Margarita

Island,

Venezuela, by

^Lieut.

^Will Robinson _{during the} summer

of

1895 proves

^to

be

exceptionallyrich in novelties.

Of the

six species thatit contains,

two

f

have already been

^{described in these Pro-}

ceedings

^as

new, while

^I

now

find that a_third,

the

rabbit pre- viously

recorded

as

Lepus

brasiliensis, differs specifically

from

its

mainland

representative. ^It

may ^stand

^as:

Lepus

niaigaritae _sp.

now

Lepusbrasiliensis Robinson, ^{Proc. U. S. National} .Museum,

XVIII,

p.651.

Type No. 63217, UnitedStates National

Museum, $

adult, collectedon Margarita Island, Venezuela, .July 1, 1895, by ^Lieut. Wirt Robinson, U. S.

Army.

Original

number

369.

Generalcharacters.

—

In _size,cranial characters, and_general appearance

most

likeLepuz cumanicus

Thomas

j of the adjacent mainland, but with underside ^{of tail dull} yellowish

brown

insteadof white,

rump

strongly suffused with rufous,

and

sides of head without eonspicuous black spot

between

_eye

and

base of^ear.

Color.

—

Generalcolorofback

and

sidesa conspicuousgrizzleof black- ish

brown and

pale whitishbuff,the buff_slightlypaleron _sides,

and

the black

somewhat

heavieron hack. Soft, woollyunder _{fur light} plum-

*Published

by

permission of the Secretary of the SmithsonianInstitu- tion.

t Rhogeessa minviilla Miller,and

Marmosa

robinsoniBangs.

XAnn.

and

_Mag. Nat. _Hist., 6thser.,

XX,

p. 552,December, 1897.

23—Biol.Soc. Wash.. Vol. XII,1898 _[97)

98 Miller — _A New Rabbit from Margarita

^Island.

beous. Shoulders, rump, upper^{surface (iftail}

and

outersidesofall four legsstrongly suffused with rufous.

Nape

patch clear rufous.

Crown

es- sentially likeback,only

more

_{finelygrizzled}

and

the buff darker.

Whole

side ofhead_lightgray, shaded with dark brown,thegray^cleareraround eve⁽whereit formsanindistinct ring)

and

onsidesof muzzle, the

brown

mostconspicuouson cheeks below

and

behind_eye.

Whole

under_parts, with the exception of abroad _buffy collar, dull white, _faintlydarkened by^the

plumbeous

^{bases ofthehairs.}

The

white extends on innerside of frontlegs to wrists

and

on hind _{legs to}base ofclaws. Tailcolored like therump, slightlypaler

and

less rufous ventrallythan_dorsally.

Measurements.

—

Total length (skin), 350; length ^to

end

of outstretched hind _feet,445;* ^tail to end of _hairs, 35.6;* hind foot, 8(5; ear from crown, 70; widthof_ear, 38. Skull: greatestlength, 79; basilarlength, 61; zygomaticbreadth, 30.4; nasals, length^36.8;

combined

_width, 18;

incisiveforamen,^{12.4 x 7.4;} maxillary^tooth

row

_(alveoli),15; mandible, 58; mandibulartooth row (alveoli), ^15.

General remarks.

— _Were

itnotforits longer ears, slightlysmaller_size,

and

_short, dark colored _tail, Lepus margaritse would bear avery strong superficial resemblanceto L. sylvaticus transitionalisBangs. ^{Its relation-} ships, however, are, asalready pointedout,withits nearest geographical ally, L. cumanicus.

*

From

freshspecimen

by

^collector.