GEOMYIDyE— GEOMYS HISriDUS. 619 



GEOMYS HISPIDUS, LeC. 

 The Quachil, or Central American Pocket Gopher. 



Saccophorus qitachil, Gray, P. Z. S. xi, 1843, 79, ex Cohan, Vera Paz, descr. nulla! — Gerr., Cat. Bones Br. 



Mus. 1862, 223. 

 Geomys hispidus, LeC, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1852, 158 (descr. orig.).— Baird, M. N. A. 1857, 386, pi. 



22, f. 4 a-d.— Coues, Proc. Phila. Acad. 1875, 133.— CODES, Powell's Kep. Colorado K. 1875, 



239 (monograph). 

 Psrudostoma (Geomys) hispidum, Aud. & Bach., Q.N. A. iii, 1854, 306. 

 Geomys heterodus, Peters,* Monatsh. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1864, 177 (Costa Rica). 

 Geomys " hirsutus", Coues, Proc. Phila. Acad. 1875, 131 (hy slip of pen for hispidus). 



Diagnosis. — Superior incisors with a single strong deep furrow, lying 

 wholly in the inner half of the tooth. f Tail and hind feet naked, or nearly so ; 

 fore feet sparsely hirsute. Fore feet, including claws, decidedly shorter than the 

 hind feet. Pouches moderate, scarcely or not reaching beyond the head. 

 Pelage stiff, hispid, and almost lustreless. Color uniform dull chocolate- 

 brown, merely paler, grayer, or smoky-brown below ; all the hairs one-colored 

 from base to tip. Of largest size; nearly or about a foot long ; girth some 

 9 inches; tail short, about 3 inches or rather less from extreme base, its 

 naked part only about 2 inches; sole, If— If ; palm, including longest claw, 

 less than this. 9 with only 3 pairs of mammae determined, 2 pairs inguinal, 

 1 pair pectoral. 



Habitat. — Mexico and Central America. (Xalapa, Mexico (De Oca) ; 

 Necostla, Mexico (Siimichrast) ; Costa Rica (Zeledon and Carmiol); Guatemala 

 City (Van Patten) ) 



The most notable external feature is the nakedness of the tail and feet. 

 The tail, in extreme cases, is absolutely bare ; the hind feet, from the tarso- 

 metatarsal joint outward, are nearly bare, though a few bristly hairs may be 

 observed, especially on the toes. The hands share the same nakedness, but 

 in less degree. Specimens vary in these respects ; in some, delicate bristles 



* Special paper : „Ueber neue Arten der Siiugethiergattuugen Geomys, Haplodon nnd Dasypus." 

 < Loe. cit. pp. 177-1*1. 



t In the earlier notices hy LeConte and Baird, the character of the upper incisors was not fully 

 indicated, owing to defect of the specimens. These teeth are unisulcate, as in mexicanus, hut the position 

 of tho groove constitutes a perfect specific character. In mexicanus, a single profound groove bisects the 

 tooth ; in hispidus, a similar single groove lies on the inner half of the tooth. In some specimens, indeed, 

 where the groove is widest, it may encroach slightly upon the median line; but it usually lies altogether 

 to one side, the outer plane surface of the tooth being alone as wide as the groove plus the inner piano 

 surface. This character is unique among tho species described in this paper; and it is the basis of G. 

 hetei'odus, as I find upon examining Prof. Peters's paper, which I was not able to consult in the preparation 

 of my previous articles upon this family. Prof. Peters alludes to the origiual S. quachil of Gray, but seems 

 to have overlooked Dr. LeConte's description of G. hispidus. 



