RACCOONS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 41 



PROCYON LOTOR SOLUTUS Nelson and Goldman 



Hilton Head Island Raccoon 



Procyon loior solutus Nelson and Goldman, Jour. Mammal. 12 (3) : 308, Aug. 24, 

 1931. 



Type locality. — Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County, S. C. 



Type. — No. 256027, male adult, skin and skull. United States 

 National Museum; collected by W. L. Brown, December 10, 1930. 



Distribufion. — Coast region and islands of South Carolina. Lower 

 Austral Zone. 



General characters. — Size rather small; color grayish; black mask 

 uninterrupted across face in two of every three individuals; winter 

 pelage rather long and dense. Similar, in general to P. I. litoreus of 

 Saint Simon Island and the coast region of Georgia, but color clearer 

 gray, less inclining toward huffy or brownish; skull characters, espe- 

 cially the much lighter dentition, distinctive. Differing from P. I. 

 lotor in more grayish general coloration, less elongated skull, and other 

 cranial details. 



Color. — Upper parts in general grayish, rather heavily overlaid 

 with black, especially on median dorsal area; rather small nape patch 

 suffused with ochraceous buff"; top of head mixed black and gray, the 

 gray predominant; black mask usually continuous across middle of 

 face, prolonged upward along median line to micklle of forehead and 

 downward over middle of muzzle to nose; sides of muzzle, lips, and 

 chin white; under parts in general thinly overlaid with silvery gray, 

 the dark l)rownish under color showing through; throat patch black- 

 ish; ears gray, with black patches at posterior base; limbs similar to 

 under parts, becoming brownish gray on feet, the hind legs with pure 

 black areas on outer side above heels; tail with about six black rings, 

 narrowest near base, and a black tip, alternating with light ochra- 

 ceous buft'y rings. 



Cranial characters.- — Skull of medium size, rather broad, short, and 

 light in structure. Similar in general to that of P. I. litoreus but 

 smaller; (kMitition very much lighter. Compared with that of P. I. 

 lotor the skull is shorter and relatively broader; frontal region usually 

 broader and flatter; palatal shelf shorter; dentition usually somewhat 

 heavier, but maxillary tooth row shorter as a rule, the premolars more 

 closely crowded. 



Measurements. — An adult male from Bulls Island, S. C: Total length, 803 

 mm.; tail vertebrae, 244; hind foot, 117. Two adult females from Bulls Island, 

 S. C., respectively: 635, 749; 193, 260; 105, 107. Skull: Type: Greatest length, 

 111.7; condylobasal length, 108.2; zygomatic breadth, 75.1; interorbital breadth, 

 24.1 ; least width of palatal shelf, 16.4; maxillary tooth row (alveoli), 42.1; upper 

 carnassial, crown length, 8.8, crown width, 9.2. 



87(5119°— 50 4 



