Merriam Six New STcwriks. 165 



Cranial character*. In addition to the cranial characters mentioned in 

 the above diagnosis of the subgenus Marputiutt, it may be remarked that 

 the skull has a "humpy" appearance, due chiefly to the bulging frontals 

 and depth of the postorbital constriction. The profile is sinuous, pre 

 senting three prominences and two depressions. The prominences are 

 formed by the slightly upturned tips of the nasals, the interorbital bulge 

 of the frontals, and a posterior prominence on the frontals behind the 

 constriction. 



Remarks. So far as I am aware this is the only striped-backed Cone,- 

 put-us inhabiting Mexico. All the other species of the genus have a single 

 broad white band down the back and belong to the subgenus Oryctogale. 



Conepatus tropicalis differs strikingly in external characters and moder 

 ately in cranial characters from both Conepatus proper ( C. humboldti from 

 Patagonia) and the white-backed Mexican species here subgenerically 

 distinguished under the name Oryctogale. In most respects it is inter 

 mediate between the two. Externally it has the large nose pad and 

 naked soles of Oryctogale, but the dorsal stripes and tail differ from either. 

 In cranial characters it favors Conepatus. The fronto-nasal region is 

 depressed less than in C. humloldti but much more than in Oryctogale; 

 the anterior nares are intermediate in obliquity of truncation; the 

 antorbital foramen opens anteriorly by two or more pores as in C. hum 

 loldti, and the postorbital constriction is as deep as in that species. 



Measurements. Type specimen: total length 575; tail vertebrae 129; 

 hind foot 74. Skutt: basal length 67.5; zygomatic breadth 50.5; palatal 

 length 32.5; length of last upper molar on outer side 8. 



