736 



NOTES ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE 

 BANDICOOTS. 



By R. C. Wroughton. 



The Bandicoots were first separated from the Rats (Mus) by Gray 

 in 1842 (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xii. p. 264) under the generic name 

 Nesokia (the modification of the name to Nesocia by Blanford and 

 others is without authority). The type of the genus was the species 

 discovered by Col. Hardwicke and generally known as Nesokia 

 hardivickei; for this name, however, must be substituted the earlier 

 one indica of Gray and Hardwicke. The same specimen (B. M. 

 no. 99a) is the type of both names. 



Almost since Gray's time several well-marked groups have been 

 generally recognized, and recently Mr. Thomas, basing on these 

 groups, has divided the genus into three, (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xx. 

 p. 202, 1907), as shown in the following key : — 



A. Size small ; tail very short, less than § of head and 



body ; mammae 2 — 2 = 8. Skull short and broad : 



palatal foramina short I. Nesokia, Gray. 



B. Size small ; tail fairly long, more than '{ of head and 



body; mammae irregular (14 — 18). Skull broad; 



palatal foramina long II. Gunomys, Thos. 



C. Size large ; tail long, almost as long as head and 



body ; mammae 3 — 3= 12. Skull long and narrow : 



palatal foramina long III. Bandicota, Gray. 



1. Nbsokia. 



1842. NesoMa, Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. x. p. 264. 



1860. Spalacomys, Peters, Abhandl. konigl. Ak. Wiss. Berlin, p. 139. 



Type species, Arvicola indica, Gray and Hardw. (= Nesokia 

 hardivickei, Gray et auctorum). Through some extraordinary 

 mistake there was a transposition (at least in part) of the descriptions 

 in the publication of the two species hardivickei and kok (Mag. Nat. 

 Hist. i. p. 585, 1832). The result of this error was a confusion which 

 was noted by Peters in the paper (I. c.) in which he proposed the 

 generic name Spalacomys, which he rightly stated could only be 

 cleared up by reference to the types. The same specimen (B. M. no. 

 99a) is the type of both Arvicola indica, Gray and Hardw., and 

 Mus hardivickei, Gray, so that the genus Nesokia, like Spalacomys, 

 is based on the northern form of Bandicoot, and Nesokia, as the 

 earlier name, stands, and Sj^alacomys becomes a synonym. 



