BULLETIN 



OF THE 



UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEY 

 OF THE TERRITORIES. 



VOLUME Y. 1879. DUMBER 2. 



Art. X. On the Coatis (Genus IVasua, Storr). 



By J. A. Allen, 



Few of the terrestrial Ferae present a greater range of color-varia- 

 tion, wholly independent of sex and age, than do the species of Coati. 

 Neither does the history of many groups afford so remarkable a record 

 of malidentifications and consequent confusion and complication of 

 synonymy. Before entering further upon the general subject, it may 

 be stated that the number of species recognized by even comparatively 

 recent authors varies from one to five, while the aggregate number of 

 synonyms falls little short of thirty. The two valid species of the group 

 were very early and simultaneously recognized, but later one of them 

 was almost wholly lost sight of for nearly half a century, so that the 

 names given to them by the early systematic writers were variously com- 

 bined and almost indiscriminately referred by later authors to the 

 various nominal species they respectively recognized. As preliminary 

 to any attempt to discriminate the species, and for the purpose of eluci- 

 dating the tables of synonymy given below, a somewhat extended 

 historical summary of the literature of the subject may not be out of 

 place.* 



Brisson, in his "Regne Animal," in 1756, described two species of 

 Coati under the names "Le Coati-Moiidi" and "Le Coati-Mondi a queue 

 annelee," which afterward became the basis respectively of Linne's Vi- 

 verra narica and Viverra nasua. Brisson also described " Le Blaireau 

 de Surinam Meles surinamensis? which is also a Coati, referable to the 



* The present revision of the group is based mainly upon the rich material contained 

 iu the National Museum, the whole of which has been unreservedly placed at my dis- 

 posal by the Director, Professor Spencer F. Baird. I am also greatly indebted to Mr. 

 Alexander Agassiz for the use of the material contained in the Museum of Compara- 

 tive Zoology at Cambridge, Mass., which happily supplies important data that would 

 have b^ii otherwise inaccessible to me. 



Bull, v, 2 1 I5a 



