306 MR. C. BODEN KLOSSON 



25. Ratufa melanopepla leucogenys. 



Kloss, P. Z. S., 1916, 43; id., antea, p. 15. 

 I ? ad. Nong Kha near Sriracha, S. E. Siam. M July 1917. 

 Mr. W. J. F. Williamson's collector [No. 2499]. 



This is the onl}' example of a Ratufa taken in Siam and Tena- 

 sserim during the hot and rainy season that I have seen, for these 

 localities are generally visited by collectors in the winter months when 

 the weather is cool and dry. 



It is pure black above except for a slightly indicated brownish 

 patch on the nape, and for the whole of the rump and a great part of 

 the tail which are chestnut brown : the pelage having the latter colour 

 is old and abraded while the rest is quite fresh. 



This suggests the question whether the brown colour of 

 phaeopephi is constant or is onl}'^ a dry season phase : leucO(jenys, how- 

 ever, fi'oni similar latitudes, is blackish in the dry season. 



Ratufa pluieopepla is stated to have a skull length of 71-78 mm 

 in full grown animals, whereas typical leucoijemjs is apparently smaller 

 agreeing with peninsulae in a skull of about 73 mm or less : the present 

 specimen is large, but in spite of that, and of its brown rump and tail, 

 I have identified it as leucoijenijs because of the greater e.xtension of 

 buff over the forellmbs and hind-feet which seems to be a character 

 distinguishing that race from phaeopepla, and which will serve to sepa- 

 rate them where dififerences in size and colour of back fail to do so ; the 

 colour of the yellow parts seems to be the same in both races. 

 Possibly the specimen is intermediate, the typical locality oi pliaeopepla 

 being S. Tenasserim, that oi leucogenys S. E. Chantabun. 



I have received from North Siam what appears to be, by 

 comparison with topotypes, an undoubted example of phaeopepla col- 

 lected at Muang Pre, ( antea, p. 81 ) but from Pak Koh and Koon Tan 

 to the eastwards, Gjddeustolpe* records 11. in. viarana, Thomas and 

 Wroughton, of Popa, Central Burma: I he difference between the.se two, 

 both of which attain a skull length of 74 mm. or more, seems to be 

 that the latter is black instead of brown. Possibly Gyldenstolpe's 

 specimens, again, are intermediate as they are pure blackish brown. 



Of the form inhabiting Peninsular Siam and the Malay Statt>s 



• Knn-l. Sv. Vet. Akad. Iliuidl., t>7, No. 2. p. iU (lltlT) 



JOURN. NAT. MIST. SOC. SIAM. 



