ns The American jaguars. 139 



Coloration pallid, ground color ochraceous buff, 

 black spots small. Inhabits the Arid Tropical 

 areas of Mexico, north to the United States Felis hernandesii. 



Coloration intense, ground color tawny ochraceous, 

 black markings much larger. Inhabits Humid 



Tropical areas of Mexico, (north to Texas ?) 



Felis hernandesii yoldmam. 



Felis centralis sp. nov. 



CENTRAL AMERICAN JAGUAR. 



Type. Skull X"o. 14,177, adult male, from Talamanca, Costa Rica, 

 collected by Professor William M. Gabb. (The skin, Xo. 12,177, U. S. 

 National Museum, seems to have been destroyed.) 



Characters. Smallest of the Jaguars. Length of adult male, 1800 

 mm. Basal length of male skull, 200 to 212. Dentition weak, upper 

 premolar series measuring, on alveoli, 49 to 53.5. Coloration intense; 

 upper surface of body with a median chain of black spots, bordered 

 by five rows of black-bordered rosettes, on a ground of clay color; outer 

 surface of ear, black, excepting a few tawny hairs: chest and belly 

 heavily blotched with black. 



Color. Skin No. 61,192, IT. S. National Museum collection, from 

 Costa Rica, received from the Costa Rican Commission, World's Colum 

 bian Exposition, has the upperparts with a median chain of black spots, 

 bDrdered on each side by about five longitudinal rows of black rosettes 

 occupying the back and sides, on a ground of clay color. The median 

 dorsal area consists of a chain of confused double spots tending to coal 

 esce anteriorly and appearing as distinct, oval, paired blotches poste 

 riorly. The lateral rows of rosettes, \vhich vary from 50 to 100 milli 

 meters in diameter, increase in size from the vertebral line to the bell}", 

 enclosing light areas of correspondingly increasing size, clay color 

 slightly tinged with tawny, and containing from one to five small, 

 rounded, black spots. The upper side of neck, and crown, have the 

 ground color slightly suffused with tawny, the former having a modifi 

 cation of the rosette pattern of the black spotting of the back, the lat 

 ter being rather uniformly covered with rounded black spots, from five 

 to fifteen millimeters in diameter, smallest anteriorly, extending from 

 opposite the anterior border of the eyes to opposite the posterior border 

 of the ears. Muzzle, clay color, finely and evenly sprinkled with black 

 hairs, leaving a plain, pale buffy crescent bordering the median upper 

 margin of the nasal pad. A large black spot borders the upper, and 

 another the lower lip. Ears, solid black on outer surface, excepting a 

 a few tawny hairs in middle; inner surface clay color, edged with tawny 

 on anterior margin. Bristles of upper lips and above eyes, mixed black 

 and white. Eyelashes and a few long hairs on sides of base of nose, 

 black. Outer surface of limbs, clay color, coarsely blotched with black, 

 the spots decreasing in size and becoming more rounded from the body 



