LÖNNBERG, A NEW SUBSPECIES OF CLAWLESS OTTER. 5 



museum, on the other only the third and fourth toe are provided 

 Avith such a rudiment. The latter is in agreement with Scla- 

 ter's statement^ but the character is evidently subjected to 

 some variation. In the specimen of A. c. hindei of this museum 

 only the fourth toe has a rudimentary claw. 



With regard to its dimensions, the Congo race evidently 

 is one of the largest. The length of head and body is about 

 92 cm., and the length of the tail is about 55,5 cm. These 

 measurements indicate that the new subspecies is of nearly 

 the same size as ^. c. meneliki (about 90 cm.) or somewhat 

 larger but its tail is considerabh^ shorter than that of the Abys- 

 sinian race (67 cm.). It is larger than the type of A. c. angolce 

 (80 cm. + 47 cm.) and comes nearest to a Rhodesian specimen 

 of A. c. hindei (90 cm. + 53 cm.) in general dimensions. 



The skull is unfortunately very badly crushed and muti- 

 lated so that only few measurements can be taken from it 

 with full certainty, but compared with the corresponding ones 

 of other skulls the}^ give a good idea about the size of the skull. 



A. capensis A. c. congica\ A. c. hindei 



Distance from cristo occipitatis to 

 anterior end of nasals . . . . 



Distance from crista occipitalis 

 mesially to tip of postorbital 

 process ... 



Distance from tip of postorbital 

 process to tip of nasals mesially 



Breadth of braincase exclusive of 

 inastoid fl ange 



Distance from tip to tip of post- 

 orbital processes 



Interorbital breadth 



123,5 mm. 



35,5 



45,3 

 36 



126, 



99 



35,5 



80 



42 

 36 



114 



91 



31 



71 



34,5 



28 



From these measurements may be concluded that the 

 length of the skull of the Congo Aonyx is even greater than that 

 of the South African race which is of the same length as the 

 Angola race (conf. Thomas 1. c. p. 389), and thus much greater 

 than that of ^. c. hindei, The breadth of the brain case ex- 

 clusive of mastoid flange is about the same as in A. capensis 

 but much larger than in ^. c. hindei and still more so than in 



Fauna of South Afr 



108. 



