VOL. XIV, PP. 129-130 AUGUST 9, 1901 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THK 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW SPECIES OF GALICTIS FROM MEXICO. 



BY E. W. NELSON. 



Qalictis canaster new species. Yucatan Orison. 



Distribution. Known only from Tunkas, northern Yucatan, Mexico. 



Specific characters. Face and entire underparts including feet and 

 legs black; black area of face limited posteriorly by a well defined pure 

 white stripe extending across forehead above eyes and reaching back 

 across each cheek, covering front of ears, and thence along sides of neck 

 becoming obsolete near shoulders; rest of upper side of head shading 

 gradually back from the pure white stripe into the general smoky gray 

 of upperparts, including tail; underfur on upperparts light gray; long 

 hairs same color at base with broad subterminal black bands and white 

 tips. The black bands on the long hairs produce the effect of a thin 

 dark wash over the pale under color. 



Size and proportions. Total length (estimated) between 650 and 700 

 millimeters. A powerfully built, short legged, heavy bodied animal 

 with short round ears like GaUctis vittata, but exceeding it in size. 



Remarks. The species described above is closely related to GaUctis 

 vittata, agreeing with it generally in proportions and in the charac 

 teristic pattern of coloration. The most striking difference between 

 the two animals is in the color of the upperparts.' The hairs on the 

 back of GaUctis vittata from Guiana and Brazil are described- as being 

 dark brown or yellowish gray with white or yellowish tips. GaUctis 

 canaster has the underfur and basal half of the long hairs of the back 

 light gray, the long hairs have broad subterminal bands of black and 

 small white tips. 



The northermost references I have been able to find for GaUctis mttata 

 (the only species commonly recognized in the restricted genus GaUctis) 

 23-BlOL. Soc. WASH. VOL. XIV, 1901. (129) 



