RODENTS OF LIBYA 193 



Specimens examined. One, 302254, from the Wadi Bey, 45 km 

 W Bu Ngem, Tripolitania, Libya. 



Published records. Tripolitania: Bu Ngem, Wadi Wagis 

 (Thomas, 1902 [Psammornys roudairei]) . 



Measurements. The measurements of an old male, 302254, from 

 near Bu Ngem, are: Total length [224]; length of tail [93]; length of 

 hind foot 32; length of ear 12; greatest length of skull 35; alveolar 

 length of upper molariform toothrow 6.1; least interorbital breadth 

 6.2; length of nasals 13.1; least breadth between parietal ridges 9.5. 



Diagnosis. Upperparts varied in color owing to suffusions of various 

 shades of buff, gray, brown, yellow and orange; a broad, indistinct 

 Pinkish Cinnamon band extending from the rostrum to the rump; 

 fine guard hairs projecting beyond the underlying hairs on the dorsum; 

 sides paler in color than dorsum and with greater admixture of dark 

 hairs; preauricular and suborbital areas grading from Light Buff to 

 Warm Brown and strongly suffused with brownish-black hairs; cir- 

 cumoral and mystacial areas and region between chin and pectoral 

 girdle white with moderate suffusion of Light Buff; postauricular 

 patches indistinct, same color as surrounding pelage; pinnae of ears 

 heavily furred with pale, Light Buff hairs, some of which partially 

 cover inner aspects of pinnae. Vibrissae relatively short, formed from 

 both black and white hairs, and extending posteriorly about 8 milli- 

 meters beyond the ears; scapular areas more brilliantly colored than 

 surrounding areas and appearing as vaguely defined patches of Warm 

 Buff and Light Ochraceous-Buff; this same color imparted to the 

 pectoral region below, but more subdued here; entire underparts 

 predominantly white, but irregularly interspersed with patches of 

 Light Buff, Pale Ochraceous-Buff, and Warm Buff; upperparts of 

 front legs and dorsal surfaces of forefeet Light Buff; palmar surfaces 

 almost naked; hind feet almost pure white dorsally; sparsely haired 

 ventrally with conspicuous naked areas on proximal one-half of plantar 

 surfaces; forelegs with five digits with claws, the first digit being almost 

 rudimentary; hindlegs with five functional digits bearing well-devel- 

 oped claws; tail relatively short, Warm Buff, and unicolorous except 

 for a rather distinct pencil which occupies the distal one-fifth of the 

 dorsal surface. Skull: Noticeably small and gracile; suprameatal 

 triangles relatively large and completely enclosed by enveloping 

 processes of the temporal and supraoccipital bones; auditory bullae 

 large and inflated ventrally; postorbital processes and parietal crests 

 poorly developed; anterior palatine foramina relatively long; molari- 

 form teeth large and wide; supraorbital bead absent. 



Remarks. Originally, Thomas (1925) recognized two subspecies of 

 Psammornys vexillaris. The range of the nominate subspecies was 

 thought to include the coastal and interior deserts of Tripolitania, 



