40 NOHTll AMKHICAN FAUNA (iO, FISH AXU WILDLIFE SERVICE 



PROCYUN LOTOK LITOREUS Nelson and Ooldman 



Saint Simon Island Raccoon 



Proci/on lotor litoreu.s Nelson and Goldman, Jour. Maniinal. 11 (4): 457, Nov. 

 11, HKJO. 



Type locality. — Saint Simon Island, Glynn County. Ga. 



Type. — No. 2450, adult (probably male), skull only, riiitcd States 

 National Museum; collected by Samuel W. Wilson; entered in museum 

 catalog, August 7, 1856. 



Distribution. — Coastal strip and islands of Georgia. Austrori- 

 parian division of Lower Austral Zone. 



General characters. — Size medium and color dark, much as in 

 Procyon lotor elucus of Florida; length and texture of pelage about the 

 same; skull differing in detail, especially in the much heavier den- 

 tition. Similar to P. I. lotor of Pennsylvania in color, but pelage 

 shorter, more bristly, and cranial characters distinctive. Differing 

 from P. I. solutus of South Carolina in more buffy or brownish colora- 

 tion and heavy dentition. 



Color. — About as in P. I. elucus. 



Cranial characters. — Skull similar in general form to that of P. I. 

 elucus, but frontal region narrower and flatter, the sides usually more 

 compressed or abruptly indented behind postorbital processes, leaving 

 the brain case bulging laterally instead of tapering gradually into 

 orbit as in elucus; dentition much heavier throughout, the dift'erence 

 being most noticeable in the large molariform teeth. Differing from 

 that of P. I. solutus in larger size and much heavier dentition. Com- 

 pared with that of P. I. lotor the skull is usually larger, with much heav- 

 ier dentition; postorbital processes of frontal weak or obsolescent as 

 in lotor and elucus. 



Measurements. — Adult topotype: Hind foot (dry skin) 107 mm. Skull: Type: 

 Greatest length, 116.6; condylobasal length, 109.4; zygomatic breadth, 72.9; 

 interorbital breadth, 22.2; least width of palatal shelf, 15.8; maxillary tooth 

 row (alveoli), 43.6; upper carnassial, crown length, 9.6, crown width, 9.9. 



Remarks. — The remarkably heavy dentition readily distinguishes 

 P. I. litoreus from all others of the group inhabiting the eastern 

 United States. Its large teeth are equalled elsewhere in the group 

 only in some of the larger subspecies of the Western States and south- 

 ern Mexico and Central America. Specimens from Saint Simon 

 Island appear to reach the maximum in dental development, but arc 

 closely approached by those from the adjacent mainland. 



Specimens examined. — Total ninnber, 25, as follows: 



Georgia: Altamaha River (mouth), 5 (skulls only); Mcintosh County, 2 (skulls 

 only): Ossabaw Island, 1 (skin only): Saint Simon Island, 15 (2 skins, 13 

 skulls); Thunderbolt Creek, Chatham County, 2. 



