1922] Allen, Congo Collection of Insectivorc 15 



Atelerix langi, new species 



Type, No. 51000, 9 ad., Faradje, northeastern Belgian Congo, March 22, 1911; 

 Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin. American Museum Congo Expedition. Orig. 

 No. 1544. 



Represented by 7 specimens, the type, an old female, and her litter of five young 

 (3 males and 2 females), about one-third grown, taken March 22, 1911, at Faradje, 

 and another third-grown young collected at Garamba, May 1, 1912. 



A dark-colored species, allied to Erinaceus hindei Thomas of British East 

 Africa. 



Type. — Upperparts dark brown, the spines over the greater part of the back 

 uniform blackish brown from base nearly to tip, the extreme tips tending to lighter 

 brown or even whitish; front of head, flanks and posterior margin of back lighter 

 than the mid-dorsal area, the spines distinctly whitish-tipped, especially on the lower 

 back where all are conspicuously whitish terminally. Ventral surface white, the 

 white area extending along sides of body, shoulders and forearms, and joining the 

 broad white frontal band between the eyes and base of the ears. A narrow line of 

 dusky brown borders the white band in front, broadening laterally to include the 

 cheeks below the eye and extending forward to the naked portion of the face, which, 

 with the chin, is also dark brown. Upper surface of fore and hind feet dark brown, 

 but much lighter than the cheeks. Ears and tail dull brown, the former nearly naked. 



Young. — The five third-grown young differ uniformly from the adult type 

 specimen in the dark markings of the face being more intensely black, in vivid contrast 

 with the clear white frontal band. The upper surface of the feet is also deep blackish 

 brown, as is also the tip of the inconspicuous tail. The spines of the dorsal area are 

 all conspicuously and uniformly tipped with white, through which the blackish brown 

 proximal portion of the spines is more or less visible. The young specimens have a 

 tendency to a narrow blackish median area on the posterior part of the ventral surface, 

 in some of them strongly developed. They agree strictly with the mother in the 

 color pattern, but have the black on face and feet more intense and more sharply 

 defined, and the white or whitish tips to the spines longer. The slightly younger 

 specimen from Garamba is indistinguishable from the Faradje specimens in coloration 

 and details of structure. 



Collectors' measurements of the. type: total length, 195 mm.; head and body, 

 175; tail, 20; hind foot, 28; ear, 21. 



Skull: condyloincisive length, 43.3; length of nasals, 15.4; palatal length (to 

 front of premaxillae), 24.3; zygomatic breadth, 29.4; interorbital constriction, 11.7; 

 breadth of braincase, 18.3; postglenoid breadth, 21.7; mastoid breadth, 14.7; 

 palatal breadth (outside to outside of m 1 ), 17.9; breadth of rostrum at i 1 , 6.6; breadth 

 of palate at ridge behind m 3 , 8.2; tip to tip of alisphenoid processes, 9.2; tip to tip 

 of pterygoids, 5.4; length of mesopterygoid fossa, 10.5; breadth of fossa between 

 pterygoids, 3; length of upper toothrow (^-m 3 ), 21.3; upper molars, 9; lower tooth- 

 row (tip of ii-ni3), 20.2; lower molars, 10.2; length of mandible (front of symphysis 

 to posterior border of condyle), 33.5; angle to condyle, 17.5. 



In pattern of coloration A. langi agrees with A. hindei, in both the 

 dark color of the face extending over the cheeks, which are white in 

 faradjins and pruneri; indeed, the series of young specimens of langi 

 are almost indistinguishable in external features from a corresponding 



