1890. J MR. R. LYDEKKER ON A NEW FOSSIL OTTER. 3 



Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell, F.Z.S., exhibited some living specimens of 

 Bipalium, and made the following remarks : — 



" I was at first inclined to regard the Bipalium which Mr. Fisk 

 sent to our Gardens ' as distinct from B. kewense, Moseley, for the 

 specimen I examined was smaller, proportionately thinner, much 

 greener in hue, and without the well-marked longitudinal lines 

 which have been described by Moseley and figured by myself. On 

 examining, however, several specimens, I found that the worms 

 varied a good deal in hue, and in the extent to which the stripes are 

 obvious, and at last I found a small specimen whicli agreed exactly 

 with my idea of what B. kewense ought to look like." 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On a new Species of Otter from the Lower Pliocene of 

 Eppelsheim. By R. Lydekker, B.A., F.Z.S. 



[Keceived November 15, 1889.] 



In cataloguing the fossil Mammals in the British Museum ' I 

 entered under the heading of Lutra dubia, Blainville, part of the 

 right mandibular ramus of a rather large Otter, which is stated to 

 have been obtained from the Lower Pliocene (Upper Miocene of 

 some authorities) sands of Eppelsheim, in Hesse- Darmstadt. My 

 reason for thus naming the specimen was that it appeared to 

 correspond with Blainville's figure of the type of L. dubia from the 

 Middle Miocene of Sansan. Mr. E. T. Newton has, however, been 

 good enough to show me a cast of the type specimen of the latter, 

 which at once indicates that the Eppelsheim specimen belongs to a 

 totally different form. The mandible of L. dubia is characterized 

 by the very small size of the inner cusp of the blade of the lower 

 carnassial, in which respect it approximates to Lutra (Potamo- 

 therium) valetoni of the Lower Miocene. According to Dr. Sehlosser * 

 this species is moreover closely allied to those Mustelines described 

 by Meyer as Trochictis, which appear to connect Lutra with 

 Mustela, and should not improbably be referred to the same genus. 



Now the lower carnassial of the Eppelsheim Otter (as is well shown 

 in the accompanying drawing, see p. 5) is remarkable for the very 

 large size of the inner cusp of the blade, and is thereby at once distin- 

 guished from L. dubia. Moreover, in going through the list of the 

 Tertiary species of Otters given by Dr. Sehlosser on pp. 345-349 of 

 the volume cited, it is apparent that the specimen under consider- 

 ation is specifically distinct from all the named species, with the 

 possible exception of Lutra franconica, Quenstedt, and the lower jaw 

 from Steinheim described by Dr. O. Fraas as L. valetoni, but which, 



> SeeP.Z.S. 1889, p. 586. 



2 Cat. Foss. M.amm. Brit. Mus. pt. i. pp. 191, 192, No. 2748 b. 



' Beitr. Pal. CEster.-Ung. vol. vii. p. 349. 



1* 



