MAMMALS OF ANGLO-EGYPTIAN SUDAN — SETZER 501 



The two specimens from Kerma are somewhat paler in color than 

 are the animals from Atbara. This ma}^ be due to a difference in 

 pelage owing to season. The skulls, however, present no pecuharities. 



Psammoniys obesus elegans Heuglin 



Psammomys elegans Heuglin, Reise in Nordost-Afrika, voL 2, p. 80, 1877. (Siiakin.) 



Specimens Examined: Fom-, all in BM, from Port Sudan. 



Measurements: An adult male and an adult female from Port 

 Sudan measure, respectively, as follows : Length of head and body 162, 

 140; length of tail 136, 125; length of hind foot 35, 31; length of ear 

 13, 11; greatest length of skull 39.8, 38.8; condyloincisive length 

 36.1, 35.9; crown length of upper toothrow 5.9, 5.9; length of auditory 

 bullae 13.7, 13.4; greatest width across zygomatic arches 22.5, 22.4; 

 least interorbital width 6.6, 6.5; length of nasals 13.8, 13.7; greatest 

 breadth of braincase 22.7, 22.8. 



RexMarks: These specimens are quite reddish and lack the black 

 wash on the dorsal sm-face of the body which is so typical of other 

 members of the genus. The belly is decidedly hghter in color but 

 still heavily washed with buff. The hands and feet are as the color 

 of the belly, the black tip of the tail occupies about one-fourth of the 

 total length. 



Ellerman (1951, p. 538) considers elegans to be a synonym of obesus. 

 This is not the case, however. The population, as judged by the 

 specimens from Port Sudan, vary to the same degree from typical 

 obesus as does nicolli. Although no actual intergradation can be 

 demonstrated from the few specimens available, I cannot agree with 

 Allen (1939, p. 330) that this is a good species nor can I agree with 

 Ellerman (loc. cit.) that this a synonym of obesus. Thus I prefer to 

 express its taxonomic position in the above combination. 



In general, these animals resembly Meriones but are grosser in 

 appearance. The skulls are grosser, the incisor faces are plain, the 

 bullae are not so inflated ventrally, and the suprameatal triangle is 

 nearly obliterated. 



Family Muridae 



Subfamily Murinae 



Gratnniomys ntacniillani erythropygiis, new subspecies 



Figure 5,d 



Type: CNHM No. 67061, adult male, skin and skidl, from Obbo, 

 Torit District, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Obtained March 22, 1950, 

 by Harry Hoogstraal, original No. 5321. 



Specimens Examined: Sixty-tlu-ee, from: Malek, 1 (BM) ; Obbo, 

 37; Torit, 19 (4, MCZ) ; Lokwi, 25 miles southwest of Torit, 1 ; Katire, 



