﻿E. LÖNNBERG, ON THE CLAWLESS OTTER OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 3 



measured in skin, are quoted as follows: »Head and body 

 900 mm.; tail 670 mm.» The former measurement is thus the 

 same äs in the Rhodesia specimen, but the tail of the Abys- 

 sinian form is considerably longer. In addition to this it 

 differs exteriorly by its silvery underfur and white edged ears. 

 The great size of the body of the specimen from Rho- 

 desia is very remarkable when it is considered that its skull 

 is so much smaller than that of either the Clawless otter 

 from Cape of that ot Abyssinia. as alluded to above. The 

 differences with regard to the dimensions of the skull of the 

 three different races of African Clawless otters is plainly seen 

 on the following table of measurements in which the cranial 

 •dimensions of the types of resp. L. capefisis m,eneliki, and 

 L. c. hindei are quoted from Thomas' descriptions, and to 

 them are added the measurements of the representative of 

 the latter race from Rhodesia and tliose of a typical L. ca- 

 pensis from Natal. 



Measnremcnts in mm. 



Liiträ 



capensis 



menelihi 



from Lake 



Tsana, 

 Abyssinia 

 (Thomas) 



Lutra capensis 

 hindei 



from 

 B. E. Afr. 

 (Thomas) 



from 

 Rhodesia 

 (Sande.) 



Lutra 



capensis 



from 



Natal 



Basal length 131 118 116 



Zygomatic breadth | 106 94 94 



Mastoid breadth ' 102 80 90,5 



Breadth of nasal opening ... — 18 17,5 



Interorbital breadth | 35 | 29,5 28,5 



Tip to tip of interorbital processes ! 51 34,5 35 



Intertemporal breadth 28.5 26,5 28 ' 



Palate length exclusive of median , } 



.spine 66,5 62,5 60,5 



Breadth of posterior palate . . 16,5 16 16 



Anteroposterior diameter of p* . — 12,9 14 



Greatest diameter of to^ .... 19,5 , 17,5 18,3 

 Anteroposterior diameter of its 



inner lobe — 12,1 12,3 



128 



104,5 

 102.5 



21 



36 



46 



31 



64 

 16,5 

 14,5 

 20 



14,5 



^ Measured at the greatest constriction just in front of the braincase, 

 in front of this constriction the breadt is 29 mm. 



