390 



MYBMECOPHAMBiE. 



Fam. 7. MYRMECOPHAGID^. 



Body covered with. hair. Head conical, elongate ; month small. 

 Teeth none. 



Edentata genuina, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. p. 97. 



Myrmecophagidge, Turner, I. o. p. 217 ; Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 383. 



Myrmecophagina, Oray, Cat. Mamm, B. M. p. 190. 



Myrmecophaga, lAnn. S. iV. i. p. 52. 



Lipodonta, Nitzsch. 



Vermilingua, lU. Prodr. 



The ribs of the animals of this family are flat and more or less 

 dilated on the onter side ; they are most dilated in the Cyclothuri, 

 where they are expanded nearly their whole length, and so much so 

 that they overlap each other, and form a complete armour to the 

 thoracic viscera. The figure gjven by Eapp agrees with the skele- 

 tons in the British Museum. The ribs of the skeleton of Myrme- 

 cophaga figured by Cuvier (Oss. Foss. v. t. 9) and Eapp (Edentata, 

 t. 6) are only dilated on the middle of the outer side, and not there 

 to such an extent as in the above-named genus. 



Synopsis of the Oenera. 

 * Terrestrial, Tail bristly. Weelh 5. 



1. Myrmecophaga. Tail covered with long hair. 



** Arhorecd, Tail conioal, prehensile. 



2. Tamaitdtja. ^^tk |- ; 'covered with short hair. 



3. Ctciothueits. To^h f ; covered with sUky hair. 



a. Terrestrial. Tail bristly ; walking on side of feet, with claws curved up. 

 1. MYRMECOPHAGA. 



Toes 4 . 5. Palatine and pterygoid bones united beneath the 

 nasal canal for its whole length. Fur of body and tail elongate, 

 flaccid. Tail very bushy, lax. SkuU very long, very slender ; nose 

 very slender, much longer than the brain-case. Terrestrial, living 

 solitary in marshes. 



Osteology. — Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. p. 97, t. 9 ; Eapp, t. 46. 

 Myrmecophaga, Gray, P. Z. 8. 1865, p. 383. 



Myrmecophaga jubata. 



Fur blackish grey, mixed ; hind Kmbs and a mark running ob- 

 liquely from the shoulders upwards and backwards black. 



Myrmecophaga jubata, Linn. S. iV. i. p. 62 ; Gerrard, Cat. B<mes 

 B.M. p. 288; Rapp, Edent. p. 14, t. 46 (skull); Gray, P. Z. S. 

 1865, p. 383. 



