10 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 82 



Color. — General coloration rather paler grayish than in marinus 

 with tendency to a smaller black mask and more whitish head, rusty 

 nape patch brighter, light rings on tail broader, more brownish buffy, 

 black rings relatively narrower. 



Skull. — Similar in its delicate proportions to that of marinus but 

 more flattened over frontal area, braincase more rounded, and palatal 

 shelf shorter. 



Measureii'ients. — Type: Total length, 644 mm. ; tail vertebrae, 214 ; 

 hind foot, 99. Skull (type) : Greatest length, 99.8 ; condylobasal 

 length, 95.5 ; zygomatic breadth, 65.5 ; interorbital breadth, 19.4 ; least 

 width palatal shelf, 13.9; upper canine-molariform tooth row, 37.4; 

 weight of type in the flesh, 5.5 pounds. See page 12 for tables of mea- 

 surements and weights. 



Remarks. — The small raccoon from the Key Vaca group in con- 

 nection with other raccoons of Florida requires comparison only with 

 P. I. jnarinus. It is abundant in the mangrove swamps of Key Vaca 

 and the immediately adjacent keys. The range occupied by the Key 

 Vaca raccoon is the smallest and most compact of that of any of the 

 forms I found among the keys. 



Specimens e.vamined. — 13. all from type locality. 



PROCYON LOTOR INCAUTUS subsp. nov. 

 Torch Key Raccoon 



Type. — From Torch Key, Big Pine Key Group, Florida. No. 

 255060, (^ adult, U. S. National Museum, collected by E. W. Nelson, 

 March 24, 1930. 



General characters. — Slightly smaller than inesperatus, upperparts 

 palest, most dingy gray of any of the forms described here ; skull 

 comparatively narrow interorbitally with elevated frontal area more 

 like elucus than in the other key forms described here. 



Color. — The palest gray of the key raccoons, black mask more 

 restricted, sometimes obsolescent, and elsewhere top and sides of head 

 whiter ; pale rings on tail broader, dark ones narrower and usually 

 dusky brown ; rusty rufous nape patch usually present and sometimes 

 strongly marked. As the season advances the colors commonly bleach 

 until many are wholly dirty yellowish or dingy whitish. 



Skull. — Differs from other key forms described here by greater 

 interorbital compression and distinctly more highly arched frontal 

 area, resembling that of elucus but less strongly arched ; zygomatic 

 breadth widest of the key forms ; molariform teeth smaller propor- 

 tionatelv- 



