828 



APODEMUS FLAVICOLLIS Melchior. 



(Synonymy midcr subspecies.) 



Gcixjnipluriil diHtrihiitioii. — Central Europe from Sweden and 

 Finland to the Pyrenees, Alps and Greece, and from Great 

 Britain to Roumania and western Russia ; eastern limits of 

 range not known. 



Diagnosis. — Decidedly larger than Apodcnnis sj/lvaticus sjil- 

 vaticHs, the only member of the group together with which it 

 occurs ; head and body about 100 to 115; tail vertebra? about 

 105 to 125; hind foot, 23 to 27, most frequently 25; condy- 

 lobasal length of skull, 25 to 28 -8 mm. ; skull in old individuals 

 becoming decidedly more angular than that of A. sylvaticus ; ear 

 large, its height above meatus about 17 to 19 mm. ; general 

 colour of upfjer parts brighter and more russet than in any of 

 the European races of A. sylvaticus ; underparts always whitish, 

 the line of demarcation along sides sharply defined ; chest spot 

 usually larger than in A. sylvaticus, frecjuently spreading laterally 

 to form a complete collar. 



External characters. — As in Apodemns sylvaticus, except for 

 such slight peculiarities as result from the larger size. 



Colour. — Except for the general tendency toward brighter, 

 more russet tints on the upper ]:)arts, and the constant absence 

 of all trace of brownish wash below, the colour so exactly 

 resembles that of Apodemus sylraticns sylratlcus as to need no 

 detailed description. 



Slcull and teeth. — In individuals old enough to show con- 

 spicuous wear of the teeth the skull 

 attains a degree of massiveness 

 and angularity never seen in 

 A. sylvaticus. This is especially 

 noticeable in the lachrymal and 

 interorbital regions and on the 

 upper surface of the brain-case. The 

 angularity of the interorbital rims 

 in such specimens is continued for- 

 ward nearly to lachrymal region 

 and is so strongly developed as to 

 produce a slight but evident longi- 

 tudinal furrow along middle of 

 frontal ; posteriorly the rims are 

 continued backward as low but 

 evident ridges extending along sides 

 of brain-case to outer extremities 

 of interparietal. In other respects 

 the skull shows no tangible pecu- 

 liarities of form as compared with 

 Large specimens of Apodemus flavi- 

 ikulls (if inunature A. epiinelas ; but 



KiG. lev. 



A podcmiis jlaKiciiUis. 



that of the smaller animal. 

 colJis are ecjual in length to 



