304 



CAENIVOEA 



KEY TO THE EUROPEAN GENERA OF CANIDJE. 



Interorbital region distinctly elevated ; postorbital processes 



convex above ; pupil of eye round Canis, p. 304. 



Interorbital region not elevated ; postorbital processes not 

 convex above ; pupil of eye elliptical. 

 Postorbital processes flat or very slightly concave above ; 

 forehead rising abruptly above level of rostrum ; ear 



rounded Alopex, p. 318. 



Postorbital processes distinctly concave above ; forehead 



rising gradually above level of rostrum ; ear pointed Vulpes, p. 325. 



Genus CANIS Linnseus. 



1758. Canis Linnseus, Syst. Nat., i, 10th ed., p. 38 (type by tautonymy 



G. familiaris). 

 1816. Lupus Oken, Lenrb. d. Naturgesch., in, pt. 2, p. 1039 (Canis lupus, 



by tautonymy). 

 1837. Vulpicanis Blainville, Ann. Sci. Nat., Paris, 2nd ser., Zool., vni, 



p. 279, November, 1837 (Canis aureus Linnseus). 

 1839. Lyciscus H. Smith, Jardine's Naturalists' Library, Mammals, ix, 



p. 160 (Canis latrans Say). 

 1839. Thous H. Smith, Jardine's Naturalists' Library, Mammals, ix, 



p. 193 (Canis anthus P. Cuvier). 

 1839. Sacalius H. Smith, Jardine's Naturalists' Library, Mammals, ix, 



p. 213 (Canis aureus Linnseus). 

 1841. Oxygous Hodgson, Calcutta Journ. Nat. Hist., n, p. 213 (Canis 



aureus Linnseus). 

 1857. Canis Blasius, Saugethiere Deutschlands, p. 177. 



1868. Neocyon Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, p. 506 (Canis latrans Say). 



1869. Dieba Gray, Catal. Carn. Pachyd. and Edentate Mamm. Brit. Mus., 



p. 180 (Canis anthus P. Cuvier). 



Type species. — Canis familiaris Linnseus. 



Geographical distribution. — Nearly as in the family, but 

 absent from the Malay Archipelago and South America ; in 

 Europe west within historic times to Great Britain, but now 

 restricted to the continent. 



Characters. — Skull heavy and deep (depth of brain-case more 

 than one-third condylobasal length) ; interorbital region thickened 

 and elevated, the frontal sinuses rather large, the postorbital 

 processes thick, convex above, their edges rounded off; dorsal 

 profile of forehead rising rather abruptly and noticeably above 

 level of rostrum ; dental formula ; * g, e 1=5, pm tl in || = 42 ; 

 teeth heavy and large, the length of carnassial and upper molars 

 together contained about 2 J times in palatal length ; canines 

 robust and not specially elongated, the point of upper tooth 

 extending scarcely beyond middle of mandibular ramus when 

 jaws are closed (fig. 65). 



Remarks. — Much uncertainty exists at present with regard 

 to the limits of the genus Canis. As here defined the group 

 includes the domestic dogs, the true wolves, the American prairie 



