UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS 



IN 



ZOOLOGY 



Vol. 10, No. 7, pp. 167-169 May 21, 1912 



THE BEAVER OF WEST CENTRAL 

 CALIFORNIA 



BY 



WALTER P. TAYLOR 

 :ontribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California) 



The interest of Miss Annie M. Alexander in the problem of 

 the status of western beavers resulted in her securing for the 

 .Museum the material on the basis of which this description is 

 drawn up. This consists of a series of ten skins and skulls, 

 with several complete skeletons, from the region of the confluence 

 of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers. Comparison with 

 pertinent specimens from elsewhere shows that the California 

 material belongs to a species distinct from other beavers. The 

 status of western beavers will be considered in more detail in a 

 later paper. 



Castor subauratus, new species 

 Golden Beaver 



Type. — Collected at Grayson, Stanislaus County, San Joaquin 

 River. California; no. 12(354, Univ. Calif. Mus. Vert. Zool. ; $ 

 adult, skin and complete skeleton; February 21. 1911; trapped 

 by Jack Doyle. 



General Characters. — In size equals the largest examples of 

 western beavers at hand. Coloration lighter than in Castor 

 canadi nsis leucodontus, but not so light as in Castor canadensis 

 frondator. Skulls with nasal bones more expanded, and foramen 

 magnum wider in proportion to length, than in any other western 

 beaver. 



