Vol. XXV, pp. 85-86 May 4, 1912 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW PIMA FROM LOWER CALIFORNIA. 

 BY J. C. PHILLIPS. 



In January, 1912, I received from Mr. E. W. Funcke the skin 

 and skull of an adult male puma from Lower California. The 

 locality is Calmalli, a small place at about latitude 28° 40'. 



The small size and round shape of this skull immediately 

 struck the eye, and more careful comparison shows the form 

 it represents to he deserving of specific rank. 



The puma is probably a rare animal throughout the entire 

 length of the peninsula, hut I am informed by Mr. W . \V. 

 Brown, Jr., that it occurs even south to the vicinity of Cape 

 St. Lucas. The form being undescribed, I name it: 



Felis improcera pp. nov. 



Type, adult male, skin and skull, M. C. Z. No. 12,704, from Calmalli, 

 Lower California; collected September, 1911, by E. W. Funcke 



Gt neral characters. — Size small, much smaller than F. browni Merriam, 

 uf the Colorado bottom, with teeth relatively ami actually larger. 



Color. — Dark fawn color (Ridgway), darker along the* back where it is 

 mixed with dusky tipped hairs. General color less reddish than in F. 

 azteca. Tail bicolored, ending in a conspicuous black tip, the hairs of 

 which are three centimeters long. 



' ranial characters. — Skull very small. General shape rounder and less 

 elongate than in either F. browni or /•'. a:lera. Nasals shorter and nar- 

 rower, audita! bullae very large ami much inflated, anterior nares small 

 ami round and upper part of ascending branch of premaxilla facing more 

 forward than in other forms. Inferior lateral prolongation of nasals 

 thin and short, and entirely internal to maxillary process. 



Cranial measurements. — Basal length, L50 millimeters ; palatal length, 

 7'_': palatal length from.gnathon to tip of hamalar process, 105; length 

 nf nasals, 55; zygomatic width. 1l'! ; least width of nasals ( noddle part ), 

 14; width of anterior nares, 27; length of anterior nares, 31; length of 



14— Proc. Biol. ><>r. Wash.. Vol. XXV, 1912. (85) 



