42 XORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 60. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Remarks. — The raccoon of Hilton Head Island and noijrhboring 

 islands, and the adjacent mainland is readily distinguished from P. I. 

 litoreus by much lighter dentition. Differentiation of this insular form 

 is apparently due to isolation, its typical habitat being separated from 

 the mainland by a broad and rather deep channel. Some skulls of 

 this form closely resemble some of those of P. I. varivs, the general size 

 and dentition being very similar. Closely compared with those of 

 rarius, however, the skulls are usually shorter and broader, the frontal 

 region broader and flatter, the brain case more rounded and inflated, 

 and the cheek teeth somewhat larger. In addition, the longer pelage, 

 grayer coloration, and more complete black facial mask appear to be 

 distinctive. 



S})€ci}n(n.< examined. — Total number. 31, as follows: 



South Carolina: Bulls Island, Charleston County, 11 (8 skins without skulls): 

 Eddings Island, 1; Edisto Island, Charleston County, 5; '^ Hilton Head Island 

 (type locality), 9 (6 skulls without skins); Hunting Island, 1; Saint Helena 

 Island, 1; Santee, 2; Yemassee, Hampton Coiuity, 1 (skull only).i* 



PROCYOX LOTOR ELUCUS Bangs 



Florida Raccoon 



Procyon lotor elucus Bangs, Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. Proc. 28 (7): 219. March. 1898. 



Type locality. — Oak Lodge, on a peninsida opposite Micco, Brevard 

 County. Fla. 



Type. — Xo. .3502. old male adult, skin and skull. Museum of Com- 

 parative Zoology (Bangs collection); collected by Outram Bangs, 

 February 1.5. 1895. 



Distribution. — Peninsular Florida, except southwestern part in- 

 habited by P. I. tnarinus, north to extreme southern Georgia; grading 

 into P. I. varius in northwest Florida. Tropical and Austroriparian 

 division of Lower Austral Zone. 



General characters. — A medium-sized, generally dark-colored sub- 

 species, with a deep, rusty rufous nuchal patch prominent in many 

 typical examples; skull characterized especially by greatly inflated 

 frontal vacuities usiuiUy giving the upper outline a decidedly "humped" 

 appearance. Much like P. I. litoreus of Saint Simon Island, Ga.: 

 general size, color, length and texture of pelage about the same; skull 

 dift'ering in detail, especially the much lighter dentition. Similar to 

 P. I. varius of Alabama, but color usually darker, size decidedly larger, 

 and cranial characters distinctive. Diftering from P. I. marinus of the 



'J Mus. Comp. Zool. 



