KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADBMIENS HANDLINQAK. BAND 48. N:0 5. 



69 



Mungos paludinosus conf. mitis Thomas & Wroughton. 



Thomas: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1902 p. 309. 



A specimen from Nairobi has a dark rufous general colour produced by tan- 

 coloured (Rep. de Couleurs 317.2) rings and tips to the black hairs. The feet are 

 black. 



With regard to the colour this specimen is rather similar to some specimens of 

 M. p. rdbustus from Kilimanjaro, but with regard to cranial characteristics especially 

 the smallness of the teeth and the bulla it approaches more closely to the Abyssi- 

 nian M. p. mitis described by Thomas 1902. This is proved by the following mea- 

 surements : 



Basal length of skull 



Condyloincisive length 



Zygomatic breadth 



Interorbital breadth 



Breadth of braincase 



Mastoid breadth 



Palate length from gnathion . . . 

 Breadth of posterior palate . . . . 

 Greatest horizontal diameter of p.' 



» m. ' 

 » m.^ 

 » P4 

 » mi 

 » ma 



The corresponding measurements of the teeth of a M. p. robustus from Kili- 

 manjaro are: 



m' 

 m^ 



12,4 mm. 



11,0 » 

 6,8 * 



P4 



mi 



m2 



8,2 mm. 

 10,0 » 



6,7 » 



It is thus especially the molars which are much smaller than in M. p. robustus 

 and agree with those of M. p. mitis. 



As characteristic of the latter Thomas has stated that the bullae are »much 

 lower and less prominent* than in the former. In the present specimen the distance 

 in a straight line from the bony ledge above the bulla and to the middle of its 

 ventral surface is about 11 mm., but in a specimen of M. p. robustus irom Kiliman- 

 jaro it is about 14 mm. I appears thus as if this specimen in this respect as well 



The posterior palatal surface is only 7,3 mm. broad. 



