GALEMYS 



21 



Remarks. — The genus Galemys is readily distinguishable from 

 the Russian and Siberian Desmana* in which the tail is flattened 

 laterally throughout, the unieuspid teeth are low and thick, their 

 width about equal to height of crown, the main cusp of large 

 premolar is rounded anteriorly, and the ridges on brain-case are 

 unusually developed. It contains a single species, peculiar to 

 south-western Europe. 



GALEMYS PYRENAICUS Geoffroy. 



(Synonymy under subspecies.) 



Geographical distribution. — South-western France (Pyrenees 

 and their immediate neighbourhood) and northern half of Iberian 

 Peninsula. 



Diagnosis. — General characters as in the genus ; head and 

 body, 110 to 135; tail,. 130 to 155; hind foot, 32-5 to 38; 

 condylobasal length of skull, 33 to 35-5 ; mandible, 22 to 24. 



External characters. — Form somewhat intermediate between 

 that of a mole and rat, the body less elongated than in Talpa, 

 but the neck almost equally short (so that auditory orifice 

 appears to be at shoulder) and the muzzle similarly produced ; 

 legs less shortened than in the moles and front feet not 

 specially enlarged ; tail rat-like, longer than head and body. 

 Fur less dense and velvety than in the moles, and of the peculiar 

 quality characteristic of aquatic mammals, the hairs of two 

 kinds, the longer, coarser ones about 12 mm. in length, those of 

 shorter under fur about half as long. Head conical, as in the 

 moles, but the much elongated snout (length about 20 mm. from 

 incisors) greatly flattened instead of terete, its breadth at middle 

 about 7 mm., depth in same region 2 mm. At tip the muzzle 

 broadens rather abruptly to about 10 mm., the broadened 

 portion divided by shallow notch at middle of anterior border 

 into two slightly indicated lobes ; at middle of each lobe and 

 about 1 mm. back from anterior edge is situated one of 

 the rather large, transversely elongated nostrils, j The median 



* The synonymy of this genus is as follows : — 

 1777. Desmana Gueldenstaedt, " Beschaft. Berliner Gesellsoh. Naturforsch. 

 Freunde, in, p. 108." (Castor moschatus Linnseus.) 



1799. Desman Lacepede, Tabl. Mamm., p. 7. Same type. 



1800. Mygale Cuvi,er, Lee. d'Anat. Comp., i, Tabl. 1. Same type. (Described 



in Tabl. Elem. d'Hist. Nat. des Anim., p. 109.) 

 1815. Desmanus Bafinesque, Analyse de la Nature, p. 59 (Emendation of 

 Desman). 



1829. Myogalea Fischer, Synops. Mamm., p. 250 (Substitute for Mygale). 



1830. Gaprios Wagler, Nat. Syst. Amphibien, p. 14 (Substitute for Mygale). 

 1836. Myogale Brandt, Wiegmann's Archiv fur Naturgesch., 1834, i, p. 176. 



t The actual narial opening is situated at extreme inner portion of 

 nostril, and is capable of complete closure by the combined action of 

 antero-internal border of nostril, a narrow semilunar membrane at upper 

 edge of inner narial aperture, and a large wart-like thickening of upper 

 border of nostril. 



