The Recent Mammals Of Tamaulipas, Mexico Part 20

=Liomys irroratus texensis= Merriam

1902. _Liomys texensis_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Washington, 15:44, March 5, type from Brownsville, Cameron Co., Texas.

1911. _Liomys irroratus texensis_, Goldman, N. Amer. Fauna, 34:59, September 7.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--State-wide except extreme southwestern and northwestern parts.

Intergradation occurs between _L. i. texensis_ and _L. i. pretiosus_ in southeastern Tamaulipas as noted previously by Hooper (1953:5).

Individuals from Altamira and one mile south thereof are small and dark as in _pretiosus_, but cranial measurements are as in _texensis_ to which they are here a.s.signed. Specimens from the vicinity of Tampico are typical _texensis_.

Average weight of the specimens from three different localities are as follows: Soto la Marina, seven males, 42.7, 14 females, 36.9; Sierra de Tamaulipas, 12 males, 47.3, 20 females, 40.7; Sierra Madre Oriental, eight males, 45.5, nine females, 37.0 grams.

The specimens reported by Ingles (1959:394) from two miles south of El Mante as _L. irroratus_ are here referred to _texensis_ on geographic grounds.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 121: 7 km. S, 2 km. W San Fernando, 7; 7 km. SW La Purisima, 1; Rancho Santa Rosa, 25 km. N, 13 km. W Cd. Victoria, 260 m., 2; 36 km. N, 10 km. W Cd. Victoria, 1; 15 mi. N Cd. Victoria, 2; 4 mi. N La Pesca, 5; Soto la Marina, 25; Sierra Madre Oriental, 5 mi. S, 3 mi. W Cd. Victoria, 1900 ft., 18; Sierra de Tamaulipas, 2 mi. S, 10 mi. W Piedra, 1200 ft., 36; Sierra de Tamaulipas, 3 mi. S, 10 mi. W Piedra, 1200 ft., 1; Ejido Santa Isabel, 2 km. W Pan-American Highway, 2000 ft., 3; Rancho Pano Ayuctle, 25 mi. N, 3 km. W El Mante, 300 ft., 1; Rancho Pano Ayuctle, 6 mi. N Gomez Farias, 300 ft., 8; 10 km. N, 8 km. W El Encino, 400 ft., 1; 2 km. W El Carrizo, 6; 53 km. N El Limon, 4; 8 km. NE Antiguo Morelos, 2; Altamira, 1; 1 mi. S Altamira, 3; 10 mi.

NW Tampico, 1; 7 km. N Tampico, 2.

Additional records: Hidalgo (Goldman, 1911:59); Matamoros (_ibid._); Bagdad (_ibid._); Sierra de San Carlos (Hooper and Handley, 1948:20); 3 mi. W Soto la Marina (Hooper, 1953:5); [Cd.] Victoria (Goldman, 1911: 59); Acuna (Hooper and Handley, 1948:20); Mesa de Llera (Hooper, 1953:5); Gomez Farias (Goodwin, 1954:9); 2 mi. S Cd. Mante (Ingles, 1959:394); Antiguo Morelos (Hooper and Handley, 1948:20).

=Castor canadensis mexica.n.u.s= V. Bailey

Beaver

1913. _Castor canadensis mexica.n.u.s_ V. Bailey, Proc. Biol.

Soc. Washington, 26:191, October 23, type from Ruidoso Creek, 6 mi. below Ruidoso, Lincoln Co., New Mexico.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Probably in the Rio Grande drainage.

The beaver has been reported in Tamaulipas only from Matamoros (Baird, 1858:355--three specimens) and from 12 miles below, south of, Matamoros (V. Bailey, 1905:124). In Tamaulipas the beaver may occur only in the Rio Grande drainage.

=Oryzomys pal.u.s.tris=

Marsh Rice Rat

Previous to this report only one subspecies of _Oryzomys pal.u.s.tris_ had been recorded from Tamaulipas. Careful examination of the available material from the state shows that _O. p. aquaticus_ occurs in the east and _O. p. peragrus_ lives in the southwestern part of the state.

In general, specimens examined were trapped in dense brush alongside waterholes as at Altamira, or around cornfields as at the place 36 kilometers north and 10 kilometers west of Ciudad Victoria, where the bushes were mesquite and other kinds of Acacias. There the ground was covered by cat claw, and no gra.s.s was seen near the traps in which _O.

pal.u.s.tris_ was caught. In the Sierra de Tamaulipas a specimen was caught among rocks and bushes. Ingles (1959:395) reported that his specimens were trapped alive in dense brush and "tules."

A female taken at Jaumave on July 25 had 5 embryos, each 20 mm. in crown-rump length.

=Oryzomys pal.u.s.tris aquaticus= J. A. Allen

1891. _Oryzomys aquaticus_ J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus.

Nat. Hist., 3:289, June 30, type from Brownsville, Cameron Co., Texas.

1918. _Oryzomys couesi aquaticus_, Goldman, N. Amer. Fauna, 43:39, September 23.

1960. _Oryzomys pal.u.s.tris aquaticus_, Hall, The Southwestern Nat., 5:173, November 1.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--North part of state, and coastal area south to Tampico.

Weights of two males were 80 and 82, and of a female 66 grams.

_Oryzomys pal.u.s.tris aquaticus_ differs from _O. p. peragrus_ in having a rich cinnamon, reddish color and the interorbital region constricted to less than 14.7 per cent of the greatest length of the skull. _O. p.

peragrus_ is ochraceous and grayish. The least width of its interorbital region is more than 14.5 per cent of the greatest length of the skull. Individuals studied from the Sierra de Tamaulipas are typical _aquaticus_. Of those from Altamira, one has the color as in _aquaticus_, but the color of the other two resembles that of _peragrus_; nevertheless, all of the mentioned specimens are here a.s.signed to _aquaticus_.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 4: Sierra de Tamaulipas, 10 mi. W, 2 mi. S Piedra, 1200 ft., 1; 6 mi. N, 6 mi. W Altamira, 2; 5 mi. N, 5 mi. W Altamira, 1.

Additional records: Camargo (Goldman, 1918:40); Matamoros (_ibid._); near Cd. Tampico (Ingles, 1958:395).

=Oryzomys pal.u.s.tris peragrus= Merriam

1901. _Oryzomys mexica.n.u.s peragrus_ Merriam, Proc.

Washington Acad. Sci., 3:283, July 26, type from Rio Verde, San Luis Potosi.

1918. _Oryzomys couesi peragrus_, Goldman, N. Amer. Fauna, 43:39, September 23.

1960. _Oryzomys pal.u.s.tris peragrus_, Hall, The Southwestern Nat., 5:173, November 1.

_Distribution in Tamaulipas._--Western part of state, along Sierra Madre Oriental.

Two males from Jaumave weighed 62 and 65 and one pregnant female weighed 67 grams.

Most records of _O. p. peragrus_ are from places along the Sierra Madre Oriental, but Lawrence (1947:103) recorded a specimen from the Rio Corona, which is east of, but not far from the mentioned Sierra. Baker (1951:215) reported two specimens from two different localities labeled with reference to Ciudad Victoria (same specimens reported here) as _O.

p. aquaticus_, but pointed out that they tended "toward the darker _O.

c. peragrus_." Examination of more material and taking into consideration the relation between the interorbital constriction and the greatest length of skull, cause me here to refer those specimens to _peragrus_.

Hooper (1953:8) reported three young specimens from Rancho Pano Ayuctle as of the subspecies _aquaticus_, but study of two adults from the same locality reveals that this locality should be included within the geographic range of _peragrus_.

_Records of occurrence._--Specimens examined, 9: 36 km. N, 10 km. W Cd. Victoria, 1; Jaumave, 2400 ft., 5; Rancho Pano Ayuctle, 25 mi. N, 3 km. W El Mante, 2; 70 km. S Cd.

Victoria (by highway) and 6 km. W of Highway, 1.

Additional records: Rio Corana (Lawrence, 1947:103); Pano Ayuctle (Hooper, 1953:8).

=Oryzomys melanotis=

Black-eared Rice Rat

_Oryzomys melanotis_ occurs in Tamaulipas from Soto la Marina southward. Two subspecies are recorded: _O. m. carrorum_ in the north and _O. m. rostratus_ in the tropical area from Rancho Pano Ayuctle to Altamira.

Specimens from the Sierra de Tamaulipas were trapped along a stream, edged with trees, bushes and rocks; at Rancho Pano Ayuctle the animals were in gra.s.s between banana groves. The specimen from 70 kilometers south of Ciudad Victoria was taken in tall gra.s.s near a field of sugar cane in a line of traps that yielded also _Peromyscus leucopus_, _Sigmodon hispidus_, _Liomys irroratus_, and _Oryzomys fulvescens_.