KONGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 



35. 



n:o 



m 



mentioned above several other characteristics of the skull in common, which plainly separate 

 them from the African Bubalus. The distinojuishing characters may be put together in 

 the foUowing way. 



BuhaluK. 



(B. caffe7' with subspecies and races of African 



buffaloes; B. antiquus, extinct). 



Horns not triangulär, basally flattened; 

 horncores hollow only at the base, other- 

 wise solid and corapact. 



Choanse opening nearly on a level -^vith 

 the hind-margin of the posterior molars. 



Vomer not by far i-eaching basi- 

 occipitale nor extending so as to divide the 

 choanas or to reach the palate posteriorly. 



Facial portion of the skull short. 



Nasals rather short, not broader poste- 

 riorly; simply pointed or soinewhat emargi- 

 nated laterally in front. 



Prcemaxillaria not, or with their ex- 

 treme tips barely touching the nasals. 



Molar series short. 



Ravius horizontalis mandihulce very 

 broad, highest under the hindraost molar. 



Buffelus. 



{B. hubalia with subspecies and races of Asiatic 



buflfaloes, B. mindorensis, B. depressicornis; 



B. triqiietricornis extinct). 



Horns more less triangulär with hollow 

 horn-cores braced by lameilar trabeculEe. 



Choanse considerably prolonged beyond 

 the level of the hindmost molars. 



Vomer much prolonged in backward 

 direction, so that it reaches or nearly reaches 

 hasioccipitale and extending so as to com- 

 pletely divide the choana3 and more or less 

 thickened or expanded inferiorly. ■^) 



Facial portion of the skull long. 



Nasals long, broader posteriorly at the 

 ends oi processus nasales oi frontalia; deeply 

 cleft at the anterior end. 



Prcemaxillaria reaching the nasals with 

 a long suture. 



Molar series comparatively long. 



Ramus horizontalis mandihulce com- 

 paratively much lower. ") 



In addition to these there raight be found several other characteristics of minor 

 importance. One of the latter is the laminar processus which protrudes from ala jmrva 

 between the temporal and the orbital träets in the African buffalo, but which is missing 

 in the Asiatic buffaloes. This is mentioned here because it seems to be an antelopine 

 character especially well developed in the gnu and allies. In the material at hand of 

 Anoa there is no trace of this processus, although the skull of this form otherwise offers 

 several likenesses to the generalised antelopine type. Basioccipitale of the Asiatic buffaloes 

 is more narrowed in front and the anterior tuberosities are more elongate and sit more 

 closely together, that is nearer to the mesial plane than in the African buffaloes. In 

 addition to the characters derived from the horns and the skull there might be added 



*) This characteristic has first been pointed out by Rutimeyer »Versuch einer nat. Gesch. d. Rindes», 

 Zurich 1867. 



^) I do not know anything about B. triquetricornis with regard to this. 



