A new rabbit from southern Texas

Vol.

XV

pp. 81-82

April

25, 1902

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

A NEW ^RABBIT FROM SOUTHERN TEXAS.*

BY GERRIT

S.

MILLER,

^Jr.

The

cottontail of the tropical

region

^of

extreme southern Texas

^differs

from

the races inhabiting the

neighboring

portions ofthe

lower

austral life zone,

and

is equally distinct

from

the

Mexican

^rabbits thus far

known.

It

may

^therefore

^be

^de-

scribedas:

Lepus

sfmplicicanus sp. nov.

Type.

— _From

Brownsville, Texas, No.

fHol

^{United States National}

Museum,

9 ^{ad. Collected} October_19, 1891 by^F.B. Armstrong.

Characters.

—

In size

and

_general appearance ^{not unlike} Lepus chap-

mani

from Corpus Christi, Texas, but fur everywhere

much

shorter;

color essentially similar,but_{grizzle of}head

and

anterior portionof

body much

lesscoarse,

owing

^tothereduced length^of the pale ring

on

each hair.

Color.

— _Back

_afine grizzle of blackandcream-buff, thelatter slightly in excess.

The

elements of the color are almost _exactly as in Lepus

chapmani

except ^{that the} cream-buff ^is slightly

more

_yellow, but the grizzle^islesscoarse

owing

^{tothefactthatboth}pale ringsand dark_tips average about ¹

mm.

shorter. It is partly due to the different quality

Published

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

18-BiOL. Soc.

Wash.

Vol.XV, ^1902. (81)

82

Miller

— Neir Rahhit from ^Southern

^Texas.

ofthefur,theresultofthefiner,shorter hairoftheBrownsville animal.

Sidesand

rump ^somewhat

paler than _back, but without forming- anj^

distinct contrast.

Head

and ears colored as in L. elunmiani, but here again the

much

shorter hairs

and

narrower color bands produce^a very differentgeneral^effect,auniform,clear,yellowishgray^thatcan_scarcely be calleda_grizzle,

and which

lacks theclouding on^foreheadand cheeks

due

tothe longblackhair_tips. Ears

much more

scantily haired than intheallied races, the hairsforming^theinconspicuousfringe along an- terior border _only 4-5

mm.

in length.

Nape

patch rufous, a shade lighterthan inL. cJiapmani. Feet, ^tailand underpartsessentially as in L. chapmani, except^thatthe rufoustintsare

more

dulland the shorter hairof the belly allows the

plumbeous

^basestoappear

more

_noticeably

atsurface.

The

plumbeous, however, ^{isoflessextent}thaninchapmani.

Skull

and

teeth.

— The

skull

and

teethdonotdifferfrom those ofLepus chapmani.

Measurements.

—

External

measurements

of type*: total length, 420;

tail vertebrae, 68; hind _foot, 91; ear, 90.

Measurements

of an adult male from_{the type locality*:} total length, 416; ^tail vertebrae, 60; hind

foot,87; ear, 76.

Specimens examined.

— _Two

skins and four _skulls, all from _{the neigh-} borhoodof Brownsville.

Remarks.

— _While

_thisrabbit isreadilydistinguishablefrom itsnearest geographicalally, Lepus chapmani, ^itscharacters areinthe quality^ofthe fur

and

the arrangement ^{of the colors} on the individual hairs.

The

actual tints are almost exactly the

same

in the

two

animals, yet the Brownsvillerabbitisanunusiially well defined form.

*From

freshspecimensby^collector.