NEW RACES OF CARNIVORES AXD BABOONS FROM 

 EQUATORIAL AFRICA AND ABYSSINIA 



By EDMUND HELLER 



NATURALIST, SMITHSONIAN AFRICAN EXPEDITION 



Further systematic study of the collection of African mammals in 

 the U. S. National Museum has led to the discovery of the new races 

 described in the present paper. The material was received from the 

 Smithsonian African Expedition under the direction of Col. Theo- 

 dore Roosevelt, and the Paul J. Rainey Expedition, unless otherwise 

 noted. 



AONYX CAPENSIS HELIOS, new subspecies 

 Xvanza Clawless Otter 



Type from the Sotik District, 40 miles southwest of Kericho 

 Station, British East Africa; adult female, Cat. No. 175750, U. S. 

 Nat. Mus. ; collected by H. J. Allen Turner, Oct., 1912; original 

 No. 1 181. 



Characters. — Aonyx capensis helios resembles mcnelcki of Abys- 

 sinia closely in coloration, having the top of the snout as far as the 

 interorbital region and the tip of the ears white as in that species, 

 but it differs by its much smaller body size. Hindci of the Tana River 

 drainage differs by the absence of white on the top of the snout and 

 the tips of the ears, by smaller or shorter mastoid processes and nar- 

 rower or more slender zygomatic arches, but resembles it closely in 

 body size. 



Coloration of the body and limbs dark seal-brown, deepest on back 

 and palest on underparts, where it is burnt umber in color. Top of 

 head seal-brown like the body. Underfur on body pale drab-gray. 

 The throat, sides of head to the level of the eyes and ears, lips and top 

 of snout, patch above eye and tip of ear, silky white in striking 

 contrast to the general dark brown color. The lips at angle of 

 mouth and the sides of the snout are dusky brown in color. 



Measurements. — No flesh measurements are available. The 

 tanned skin measures in length of head and body 700 mm. and in 

 tail 470 mm. Skull: condylo-basal length, 127; basal length, 117; 

 zygomatic breadth, qt ; mastoid breadth, 84; interorbital constriction, 

 30: breadth across interorbital processes, 38.5 ; post-orbital constric- 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 61, No. 19 



