194 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 75 



Libya, and Psammomys vexillaris edusa, with type locality at Mil 

 Mahases, Chegga, south of Biskra, Algeria, was believed to be confined 

 to the Algerian Sahara. Ellerman and Morrison-Scott (1951) regarded 

 P. v. edusa as a synonym of Psammomys obesus vexillaris, the species 

 P. vexillaris at the same time being relegated to subspecific rank under 

 P. obesus. Psammomys vexillaris is here accorded full specific rank, 

 based primarily upon its smaller size, both cranially and in external 

 dimensions, and upon additional characters as given by Thomas 

 (1925), Setzer (1957), and the present author. Because I have examined 

 no specimens from Algeria, I cannot comment on the status of P. v. 

 edusa. 



In Libya, this small sand rat is known only from the type and 

 type series as reported by Thomas (1925) and from a single old male, 

 302254, obtained in 1955 by Setzer from the Wadi Bey near the type 

 locality. According to Setzer (1957), this animal was dug from its 

 burrow which was located in an area of consolidated sand with sparse 

 vegetation. My efforts to obtain additional specimens of this rare 

 sand rat were to no avail. 



Family Spalacidae 



Genus Spalax Guldenstaedt 



Spalax ehrenbergi aegyptiacus Nehring 



Spalax aegyptiacus Nehring, S. B. Ges. Nat. Fr., Berlin, p. 180, 1898 (Ramleh, 

 near Alexandria, Egypt). 



General distribution of species. Syria, Israel, Egypt, and Libya. 



Distribution in Libya. Cyrenaican Plateau, including the Gebel 

 Achdar and the coastal plain of Cyrenaica. 



Specimens examined. Seven, from Cyrenaica: 5 km NW Labrag, 

 3; Wadi el Kuf, 13 km WSW Messa, 1; 8 km N Benghazi, 1; 4 km S 

 Agedabia, 1; 20 km SW Agedabia, 1. 



Published records in Libya. Cyrenaica: Ras el Ferg (Sordelli, 

 1899); Barce (Ghigi, 1920); Benghazi (Zavattari, 1934; Toschi, 1951). 



Measurements. Measurements of two adult females, 325655 and 

 325656, from 5 kilometers northwest of Labrag and the measure- 

 ments of an adult female, 325652, from 20 kilometers southwest of 

 Agedabia, are, respectively: Total length 172, 180, 190; length of tail 

 15, 15, 16; length of hind foot 21, 22, 23; length of ear 5, 5, 5; con- 

 dyloincisive length of skull 38.5, 40.7, 39.9; crown length of upper 

 molariform toothrow 7.4, 7, 7.1; palatilar length 21.8, 22.3, 22.8; 

 length of anterior palatine foramina 2.9, 3.2, 3.2; greatest breadth 

 across zygomatic arches 28.8, 29.3, 29.4; least interorbital breadth 

 6.9, 6.4, 6.7; length of nasals 16.6, 17.8, 17.8; breadth of rostrum at 

 level of antorbital foramina 7.1, 6.9, 7.4; greatest length of skull 



