602 Mr. O. Thomas on 



Dimensions of tlie type (measured on the spirit-speci- 

 men before skinning) : — 



Head and body 134 mm.; tail 116; hind foot 28; 

 ear 19. . . . ^ 



Skull : greatest length 36*4 ; condylo-incisive length 34 ; 

 nasals 14' 6; interorbital breadth 5; breadth of brain-case 15*2; 

 palatal foramina 7'5 X 3 ; length of buUse 6*7; upper molar 

 series 5*1 . 



Hab. Pearson's Islands, Investigator Group, S.Australia. 



7'i/pe, Adult male (skinned from spirit). B.M. no. 

 23. 3. 28. 6. Collected by Prof. F. Wood Jones. Six 

 specimens, all males. 



This distinct species is readily recognizable by its pale 

 colour, shortened tail, large bulla3, and, most of all, by its 

 unusually small teeth. 



LXV. — New Subspecies of Metachirus. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



Metachirus opossum melanthoj subsp. n, 



A heavily blackened form from Colombia. 



Upper surface deep blackish, absolutely black on the head, 

 lightened on the body by silvery-grey tickings, but through- 

 out darker than in other subspecies, the black not so re- 

 stricted to the spine as to form a marked dorsal line. Under 

 surface strongly contrasted buffy whitish, the hairs on chin, 

 chest, and inguinal region buffy to their bases, those on neck 

 and belly broadly slaty proximally except just along the 

 exact centre line. Face black, supraocular spots very small, 

 only about 7 mm. in diameter, and 11 mm. from each other ; 

 postauricular light spots scarcely perceptible. Front of 

 forearms and hips very strongly contrasted whitish, the line 

 of demarcation from the general dark colour sharply marked. 

 Hands and feet with dark metapodials and sharply con- 

 trasted white toes. About one- quarter of the scaly part of 

 tail white. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in the flesh) : — 



Head and body 250 mm. ; tail 280, its scaly part 230, 

 its white tip 60 ; hind foot 40 ; ear 30. 



Skull : condylo-basal length 6Q; combined length of 



