NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE. 



Vol. V. MARCH, 1898. No. 1. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE NEW MAMMALS FROM THE 

 EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO AND AUSTRALIA. 



By OLDFIELD THOMAS. 



BY the kindness of Mr. Rotliscliild I liave been entrnsted with the determination 

 of some mammals recentl}' received at the Tring Musenm, and among them 

 two are new, one representing a new genus of Rodents. At the same time I take 

 the opi)ortunity of describing a new S)7ii nthopsis from Australia recently received 

 at the British Mnsenm. 



Mallomys * gen. nov. (Jfiaklae). 



Allied to Crateromys and Leuotw/s.^ External form strictly murine. Fur long 

 and thick. Ears short. Tail long, scaly, almost naked. Pollex with a short nail; 

 all other digits with strong curved claws. 



Skull large and powerful, more heavily built than that of Cniterom>/s. 

 Interorbital region broad, inflated and convex on each side anteriorly, then in its 

 posterior half the inflation disappears, to be replaced by sharp vertical ridges, 

 between which the mesial part of the frontal is deeply concave. These ridges 

 are very sliort, and when reaching the anterior corner of the squamosal they turn 

 abruptly outwards and downwards, so as, with the anterior edge of the squamosal, 

 to enclose a deep vertical groove or concavity running down the postero-interiial wall 

 of the orbit. Brain-case proper scarcely ridged at all. Interparietal large, its 

 anterior edge evenly convex. Otiter plate of zj'goma root slightly projected forwards. 

 Palatal foramina of medium length. Posterior edge of palate level with the middle 

 of m'. Bullae small. 



Teeth. — Upper incisors ungrooved, yellow in front, their wear such that tlieir 

 outer corners project downwards as sharp points. Molars very large and heavy, 

 so broad that the palate between the anterior molars is narrower than the teeth 

 themselves. In pattern they have a strong general resemblance to those of 

 Lenomijs.,X with similar isolated cusjis and posteriorly projecting processes of 

 enamel ; the nnmber of cnsjis is however difterent, as both the internal and external 

 cusps of the last lamina of m' are absent, as is the case with m-', while in m^ there 

 are no definite outer cusjjs ; the molars have therefore the following numbers of 

 lateral cusps, outer 2 — 1 — 0, inner 2 — 2—3, as opposed to the 3—2 — 2 and 3 — 3—3 

 of Lcnomi/s. Below the molars are very like those of C rateromi/s. 



Type : M. rothscliiUli. 



* iiaWi!, wool. 



f Genus propo.sed in the account of Mr. Whitehead's Philippine mamm.al-*, imw in the press. It 

 is based on J/ia meyeri .lent. 



I Figured Traiui. Zool. ,Sm: XIV. I'i. .\.\.KVI. tig. 1. 



