Vol. XI, p. 45 March 16. 1897 



PROCEEDINGS 



°^'r«'' /^V>^os 





BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



PHENACOMYS PREBLEI, A NEW VOLE FROM THE 

 MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO. 



BY C. HART MERRLAM. 



During the past few 3^ecars the field parties of the Biological 

 Surve}' have collected numerous specimens of Phenacomys in the 

 mountains of Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. All of these si)eci- 

 mens belong to the species described by me in 1891 under the 

 name P. orophihis (N. Am. Fauna, No. 5, p. 66, August, 1891), 

 the type of which came from the Salmon River Mountains, in 

 Idaho. 



In August, 1895, one of my assistants, Mr. Edward A. Preble, 

 trapped a new species on the side of 'Twin' or 'Lilies' Peak, 

 near Longs Peak, Colorado, at an altitude of about 2,700 meters 

 (approximately 9,000 feet). " The locality was perfectly dry 

 and had been covered by a forest, most of which liad fallen." 

 The species may be described as follows : 



Phenacomys preblei sp. nov. 



Ti/pf from Longs Peak, Colorado. No. 74513, (^ adult, U. S. National 

 Museum, Biological Survey collection. Collected August 12, 1895, by Ed- 

 ward A. Preble. Original No. 647. 



General characters. — Size rather small ; color very pale and decidedly 

 ochraceous. 



Color. — Upper parts clay color, suffuse<i with ochraceous bufl' and 

 heavily lined on the back with black-tipped hairs; feet soiled whitish ; 

 under parts white, with a yellowish tinge, the plumbeous under color 

 showing through. 



Cranial and dental characters. SknU similar to that of P. orophUus, but 

 somewhat smaller, with posterior ends of ascending l)ranches of premax- 

 illte more broadly expanded ; interorV>ital ridges more strongly developed ; 

 jugal decidedly narrower and hardly, if at all, naortised into maxillary 

 arm of zygoma ; end of pterygoids swollen where they articulate with 

 audital bullse. 



Meaanrenient^ (type specimen). —Total length, 1.30; tail vertebrae, 30; 

 hind foot, 17. 



9— Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XI, 1897 ' (45) 



