﻿MAMMALS OF NORTHERN COLOMBIA — HERSHKOVITZ 331 



nambuco, Brazil. Range of the species was given (op. cit., p. 211) 

 as "the southern half of Brazil and westwards to Peru. Northwards 

 [it ranges] into Colombia, and will probably be found to intcrgrade 

 with S. gabbi." Thomas recognized another group of rabbits inhab- 

 iting the coast and islands of Colombia and Venezuela. This group 

 included cumanicus with margaritae and superciliaris regarded as 

 scarcely distinguishable, and S. orinoci"si more isolated form, tending 

 again toward S. brasiliensis." Still another group was composed of 

 the Andean rabbits, S. meridensis, andinus, and capsalis. It appeared 

 to Thomas that the dark-naped S. nigronuchalis differed most from 

 all others. 



Pocock (1925) described some external characters of lagomorphs. 

 American rabbits included in his study wctg Jloridanus, superciliaris, 

 brasiliensis, palustris, and aquaticus. Tapeti was used in a generic 

 sense for brasiliensis, and the names Tapeti and Limnolagus were used 

 interchangeably for palustris and aquaticus. Evidently Pocock was 

 more concerned with characters distinguishing the Leporidae from the 

 Ochotonidae. Nevertheless, minor differences between species and 

 genera were described. Pocock noted the absence of a supertragus 

 in the ears of jloridanus and brasiliensis and its presence, though 

 weakly developed, in palustris. The hind feet of Jloridanus and 

 brasiliensis were found to be similar in form. Likewise, the hind feet 

 of aquaticus and palustris were described as resembUng each other 

 most while differing notably in certain respects from the other two 

 species mentioned. 



Tate (1933) reviewed the taxonomic Hterature of Neotropical 

 leporids from the pre-Linnaean description of the tapiti by Marggraf 

 in 1648 to the last publication on the subject in 1929. All named 

 forms, with type locahty of each, were listed. The type locaUty of S. 

 brasiliensis was discussed and that of Pernambuco, Brazil, as fixed by 

 Thomas in 1911 was accepted. Tate did not pretend to classify the 

 rabbits or to define their characters. It appears from the title of his 

 paper, however, that all South American rabbits, including cotton- 

 tails, are members of the subgenus Tapeti. 



Hershkovitz (1938) discussed the status of Sylvilagus andinus and 

 its relationship to other tapitis. Material examined was chiefly from 

 Ecuador, the remainder from widely scattered localities in Central 

 and South America. Named forms of tapitis were treated in terms 

 of species groups. Tapitis of the "gabbi group," from Central America 

 and the lowlands w^st of the Andes, and those of the "brasiliensis 

 group," from Brazil, were found to be very closely related. The 

 "kelloggi group" from the western slopes of the Cordillera Occidental 

 in Ecuador appeared to be nearest aS. daulensis, the western Ecua- 

 dorian representative of the "gabbi group." Characters given by the 

 author for distinguishing *S'. andinus from other groups now appear to 



