20 Merriam — Revision of flic Coyotes. 



ticular areas. Thus the snow-white Arctic ^\^)lf never reaches 

 the northern l)or(ler of the United States, no matter liow severe 

 the winter, and the Red Wolf of Texas is unknown on our nortli- 

 ern })hiins. In the case of the Coyote the present study goes far 

 to show that except in winter, when migratory movements take 

 place, the distances traveled by individual wolves are not suffi- 

 cient to prevent the various species and subspecies from conform- 

 ing to the faunal zones. It must be expected, however, that the 

 belts of overlapping between the several zones will be broader in 

 the case of such wide ranging animals as wolves than in the case 

 of those whose means of locomotion are more limited. 



The three groups of Co3^otes have distinctive geographic ranges 

 which conform to the well known life zones. Beginning at the 

 north, the}^ may be known as (1) the latrans group, inhabiting 

 tiie Upper Sonoran and Transition zones and the southern edge 

 of the Boreal ; (2) ihefrustror group, inhabiting the Lower Sonoran 

 of Texas (and probably Oklahoma and Indian Territory;, the 

 tableland of Mexico (at least its southern part), and the penin- 

 sula of Lower California, and (3) the microdon group, inhabiting 

 the Arid Tropical belts of both coasts of Mexico and the lower 

 Rio Grande region of Texas, and also the Lower Sonoran deserts 

 of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and California. Can is latrans is the 

 largest of the Coyotes and has the largest teeth ; C. frustro-r a.n<l 

 its allies are of medium or rather large size and have somewhat 

 smaller teeth ; C. microdon and its relatives are smaller and have 

 very much smaller teeth. 



The eleven forms liere recognized, with their type localities, are 

 as follows : 



1. Latiians group. 



Canis latrans Say. Council Bluffs, Iowa. 

 pallldus nob. Johnstown, Nebraska. 

 lestes nob. Toyabe Range, Nevada. 



2. Fkhstrou group. 



Canis cagoUis H. Smith. Rio Frio, near city of Mexico. 

 frustror Woodhouse. Fort Gibson, Indian Territory. 

 peninsuhc nob. Cape St. Lucas, Lower California. 



3. Microdon group. 



Ca)ils microdon nob. Mier, Tamaulii^as, Mexico. 



mcarnsi nob. Quitobaf^iiita, Pima County, Arizona. 

 cstor nob. San Juan River, Utali. 

 ochropus Esch. 'California' (San Joaquin Valley). 

 rigilis nob. Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. 



