A NEW CARNIVORE FROM BRITISH EAST AFRICA 



By GERRIT S. miller, Jr. 

 Curator, Division of Mammals, U. S. National Museum 



With Three Plates 



A series of seven specimens of Otocyoii collected by Dr. Edgar A. 

 Mearns and Mr. J. Alden Loring, of the Smithsonian African Expe- 

 dition, at Naivasha Station, British East Africa, represents a species 

 readily distinguishable from O. megalotis of the Cape region. It 

 may be named and described as follows :^ 



OTOCYON VIRGATUS, sp. nov. 



Type: Cat. No. 162125, U. S. N. M. Adult male (skin and skull), 

 collected at Naivasha Station. British East Africa, August 8, 1909, 

 by J. Alden Loring. Original number 6962. 



Diagnosis: Size and general appearance as in Otocyon megalotis, 

 but underparts rich buff instead of whitish, and tail with conspicuous 

 black dorsal stripe. Skull differing from that of O. megalotis in the 

 flatter less inflated audital bullae and absence of notch between angu- 

 lar and subangular processes of mandible. Fourth lower molar nor- 

 mally with two small but evident posterior cusps, its elements as in 

 the preceding tooth. 



Color: Entire dorsal surface from between ears to base of tail a 

 nearly uniform coarse grizzle of black and light cream-buff, the 

 cream-buff" in excess everywhere except along median line, where the 

 two colors are about evenly balanced ; long hairs blackish throughout 

 except for a cream-buff annulation about 5 mm. wide situated 5 to 10 

 mm. below tips; hairs of underfur drab-gray through basal half, 

 then a rather light ochraceous-buff to tips, this color nearly overlaid 

 by the grizzle of the longer hairs, but appearing irregularly at sur- 

 face where hairs are disarranged ; sides of body like back, but be- 

 coming suffused with ochraceous-buff below : underparts ochraceous- 

 buff, brighter and more nearly a clear buff on throat, duller and 



'This paper is the third dealing with the results of the expedition. The 

 other papers are Nos. 1879 and 1880 in the same series as the present publica- 

 tion. 



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