2() XOHTH AAIEKICAX FAUNA GO, KISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



conical, without distinct ,<i-i'oovcs, the iijipcr' ciuiincs not stron<2:ly 

 everted. 



Eemarks. — The genus Procyon is readily distinguished from the other 

 living giMUM-a of Procyonidae. Jt is most closely allied to Nasuo, but 

 differs strii<ingly in external appearance as well as internal structure. 

 It shares with Nasua the.genei-al pattern of white and black facial 

 markings, hairy mid-section of upper lip, and annulated tail, but 

 departs in more robust form, shorter snout, pointed ears, free digits, 

 short front claws, and short, cylindrical instead of tapering tail. 

 Important similarities in cranial structure and dental details, espe- 

 cially the molar cusps, are apparent, but the skull diverges notably in 

 its short and broad, instead of narrow and elongated outlines. Among 

 other cranial characters that distinguish Procyon from Nasua are the 

 greater breadth of the palate between the molars in relation to breadth 

 of bony palate behind molars (palate nearly parallel-sided throughout 

 its length in A^asua) ; upper molariform tooth rows curved posteriorly, 

 instead of being nearly straight; mastoid processes much more promi- 

 nent; and canines more rounded and conical, instead of flattened and 

 sabei'-like, with trenchant anterior and posterior edges. The genus 

 Procyon differs from the genus Nasuella in about the same characters 

 as from Nasua. 



The genus Procyon is more distantly related to the genus 5a.s- 

 saricyon which it approaches in general type of dentition, but with 

 which it contrasts strongly in color and in many important structural 

 details. Procyon is a much larger, more heavily built animal than 

 Bassaricyon, which also exhibits a departure in color, pelage, and other 

 external features. In Bassaricyon the color is more uniform, the face 

 somewhat grayish but lacking the black mask and white markings of 

 Procyon and the general body color ochraceous tawny. The general 

 pelage is much denser, softer, and has a silky quality very unlike that 

 of Procyon. The tail is longer in Bassaricyon, flattened instead of 

 cylindrical, and is indistinctly annulated. The ears are more rounded 

 in Bassaricyon than in Procyon, and a median projection of the 

 rhinarium extends across the lip to the mouth. The skulls of Procyon 

 and Bassaricyon are somewhat similar in general form, but differ in 

 many important features. Contrasted with that of Bassaricyon, the 

 skull of Procyon presents points of difference including the following: 

 Much larger, more massive (thin-walled and delicate in Bassaricyon) ; 

 brain case less inflated; orbits relatively smaller; postorbital processes 

 much less, and mastoid processes much more, developed; canines 

 without distinct grooves (canines with two distinct longitudinal 

 grooves on imier, and two on outer, surfaces in Bassaricyon). 



Compared with the genus Potos, the most aberrant American mem- 

 ber of the family as currently recognizetl, the genus Procyon differs so 



