RACCOONS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 47 



mainland animal. The motor highway from Miami to Key West, 

 connecting keys by fills or viaducts enabling raccoons to pass from one 

 key to another will doubtless result, through interbreeding, in the 

 blending and obliteration- of the interesting characters that now 

 distinguish the various races of the island chain. 

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



Florida (Key Largo Group): Elliotts Key, 7; '^ Key Largo, 5:''"' Lignum Vitae 

 Key, 1; Lower Matecumbe Key, 7; Plantation Key, 2; Upper Matecumbe 

 Key, 1 (type) ; Virginia Key, 2. 



PROCYON LOTOR AUSPICATUS Nelson 



Key Vaca Raccoon 



Procyon lotor auspicatus Nelson, Smithsn. Misc. Collect. 82 (8): 9, July 10, 1930. 



Type locality. — Marathon, Key Vaca, Monroe County, Fla. 



Type.— No. 255080, male adult, skin and skuh, United States 

 National Museum; coUected by E. W. Nelson, :March 28, 1930. 



Distribution. — Key Vaca and doubtless closely adjoining keys of 

 the Key Vaca Group, a central section of the main chain oft" the 

 southern coast of Florida. Tropical Zone. 



General characters. — A very small, pale sul)species; skull with a 

 narrow, l)ut rounded brain case. Similar in size to P. I. marinus of 

 the Ten Thousand Islands and P. I. incautus of the Big Pine Key 

 Group, but decidedly paler than the former and dift'ering in cranial 

 details from both. Distinguished from P. I. inesperatus of Upper 

 Matecumbe Key, by smaller size, much paler color, and by cranial 

 characters. 



Color. — Very pale, similar to that of P. I. incautus, but not quite 

 so extreme, much pak'r throtighout than P. I. inesperatus or P. I. 

 marinus, the upper parts usiudly thinly overlaid with rusty brownish, 

 and the underfiu' of a lighter brownish tone than in inesperatus or 

 marinus; black facial mask more restricted ; dark rings on tail narrower, 

 more brownish, but usually distinct all arotnid. 



Cranial characters. — Skull very small, with a short palatal shelf 

 and moderately heavy dentition. Similar to that of P. I. marinus, 

 but somewhat smaller, with shorter palatal shelf, and lighter dentition. 

 Smaller than that of P. I. inesperatus, with brain case relatively nar- 

 rower, palatal shelf shorter, pterygoids less divergent posteriorly. 

 Compared with that of P. I. incautus the skull is smaller, with shorter 

 palatal shelf and narrower zygomata. 



Measurements. — Type: Total length, 644 mm.; tail vertebrae, 214; hind 

 foot, 99; weight (pounds), 5.5. Average of five adult male topotypes: 657 

 (634-700); 236 (214-275); 100 (96-107); weight (pounds), 5.3 (4-6). Two adult 



'" Mus. Comp. Zool. 



2" Two in Mus. Comp. Zool. 



