The generic name of the African buffalo

Vol. XXIV, pp. 191-194 June 23, 1911

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

THE GENERIC NAME OF THE AFRICAN BUFFALO.

BY

N.

HOLLISTER.

[PublishedbypermissionoftheSecretaryoftheSmithsonianInstitution.]

Aside

from

conspicuous

and

well

known

differences in the general appearance ^{of the} animals

and

in the types ^{of their} horns, the buffaloes^of Africa

and

of the Indian _{region are} dif- ferentiated by constant ^{characters of real} generic value.

At

present these buffaloes are

commonly ^combined

^{in the} genus Bubalus, with Bubalus _coffer of

South

Africa asthe_{type, or}even loosely

thrown

in the old Linnsean genus ^Bos.

The

_type of Bubalus

H. Smith

is, however,

by tautonymy

^{Bos bubalis Lin-}

naeus, the Indian Buffalo.

The _Cape

Buffalo

and

its allies should stand ^as a separate genus, the correct

name

for

which

appears ^to be Syncerus

Hodgson. The synonymy and

general characters ofthe

two

_genera follow^7:

Genus Bubalus Smith.

1827. Bubalus H. Smith, ^Griffith's Cuvier's Animal Kingdom, V, p.

371. (Subgenus ^of Bos.) Type by tautonymy, Bos ^bubalus

Smxth=

Bos hubalis Linx^eus.

Skull

much

^lessmassivethaninSyncerus; morenarrowand_elongated;

facial profilenearlystraight^; rostrum _{relatively long}and slender. Nasal bones_elongated and _slender,narrowed in middle, and _projecting

much

beyond end^of mediansuture; thus longest laterally. Vomer_fused with palatine bones and _{palatine plate of} maxilla theentire length ofmedian suture. Audital bullae very small, reaching ^to about _plane of ventral surface of basi-occipital. Molarsshortand _high, crowns almost square.

Hairofdorsum reversed, directedforward from haunches to head; ^ears comparatively^small, withoutconspicuousfringes. Indian Region.

TheTamarau (B. mindorensisHeude), from Mindoro, agreeswith B.

bubalis in the above general characters and can not be subgenerically separated. ^Ihavenot seen askull of

Anoa

depressicornisfromCelebes.

35—Proc.Biol. Soc.Wash.,Vol. XXIV,1911. (191)

192 ^Hollistei

—

The Generic

Name

of^the African Buffalo.

Genus Syncerus Hodgson.

1847. Syncerus Hodgson, ^Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal,

XVI, new

series, no. 7, p. 709, July. (Genus.) Type by ^selection, Bos brachyceros Gray.*

1872. Planiceros Gray, ^Cat.

Rum. Mamm.

^{in Brit.} Mus., p. 10. (Sub- genus ^of Bubalns.) Type by tautonymy, Bubalus ^{centralis a.} Bos planiceros Blyth.

1872. Synceros Gray, ^Cat.

Rum. Mamm.

in Brit. Mus., p. ^12. (Sub- genus ^of Bubalus.) Type by monotypy, Bubalus caffer

Gra\=

^Bos

cafferSparrman.

Skull massive, short and _broad, facial profile concave; rostrum ^rela- tively shortand broad. Nasal bones short and _{wide; greatest length}

mesially. Vomer not attached to palatine ^bones. Audital bullfe large, reaching ^far beyond plane ^of ventral surfaceof basi-occipital. Molars long,crownsrelativelynarrow. Hairofdorsumdirecteduniformly back- ward from neck to rump; ^ears large, heavily fringed with _long hairs.

Ethiopian Region.

Thefollowing African^buffaloeswere_recognizedby^thelastmonographer, Matschie, 1906,^t orhave beendescribedsincethe publicationof his revi- sion. Thespecificorsubspecific rankof these forms is stillvery uncer- tain. Iusetrinomialswherethe_originaldescriberhasdoneso.

1. Syncerus^azrakensis(Matschie). DarRoseres,ontheBahrelAzrak, Egyptian Sudan.

2. Syncerusbrachyceros(Gray^). Central Africa (shores^ofLake_Tchad, Matschie).

3. Syncerus caffer caffer(Sparrman). Sunday River, Eastern Capeland.

4. Syncerus cafferaequinoctialis (Blyth). White Nile.

5. Synceruscaffer cottoni (Lydekker). Semliki Valley.

6. Syncervscaffermatthewsi (Lydekker). Mfumbiro,Ruanda,

German

EastAfrica.

7. Syncerus caffer radcliffei (Thomas). Burumba, Ankole, ^S.

W.

Uganda.

8. Syncerus^centralis (Gray). ?Atbara, Egyptian Sudan.

9. Syncerusgariepensis (Matschie). Ligua^River, upper Orange.

10. Synceruslimpopoensis (Matschie).

Lembobo

Mountains, Southern Swasiland.

11. Syncerus rnayi (Matschie). Bengo, Loanda.

12. Syncerus nanus (Boddaert). ^'Probably somewhere between the Congo and^themouth^ofthe Niger," Lydekker,Wild _Oxen,Sheep, andGoats of AllLands, p. 111.

]?>. Syncerus neumanni(Matschie). Chagwe, Uganda.

*Hodgson's genus containstwospecies,"

BornouensisandBrachycerus." Thefirst

has beenoverlooked byall recent workers. Itdatesfrom1858,and firstappears ⁱⁿ Chas.HamiltonSmith's SynopsisoftheMammalia,Jardine's Naturalists'Library,XV,

p.290,as-Bosbornouensis.withdescription; typelocality,Bornou.

tSite.—ber.ges.nat.freundeBerlin,1906,no.7.pp. 161-179, July,1906.

Hollister

—

The Generic

Name

ofthe African _Bvffnln. 193

ll. Syncerusplaniceros (Blyth). Gambian _Region.

15. Syncerus^ruahaensis(Matschie). Rnaha_River,

German

EastAfrica.

K». Syncerusschillings! (Schillings). Pangani,

German

^{East Africa.}

17. Syncerusthierryi (Matschie). Togo, WestAfrica.

18. Syncerus ^wiesei (Matschie). Between Loangwa^and Revuga rivers, northofZambese River.

L9. Syncerus wembarensis (Matschie). TschajaSwamp, ^southern

Wem-

bere steppe.