559 



ELIOMYS PALLIDUS Barrett-Hamilton. 



1899. Eliomys pallidus Barrett-Hamilton, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 

 7th aer., in, p. 226, March, 1899. Type in British Museum. 



1901. Eliomys cincticauda Miller, Proo. Biol. Soc., Washington, xiv, p. 39, 

 April 25, 1901. (Sorrento Italy). Type in U.S. National Museum. 



1910. Eliomys cincticauda and E. pallidus Trouessart, Faune Mamm. 

 d'Europe, pp. 137, 138. 



Type locality. — Palermo, Sicily. 



Geographical distribution. — Sicily and southern Italy. 



Diagnosis. — Size greater than in Eliomys quercinus (condylo- 

 basal length of largest skulls usually 33 to 35 rnm. ; hind foot 

 usually 27 to 29 mm.) ; general colour not so dark as in the 

 more northern animal ; tail with sub-terminal black area forming 

 a complete ring ; skull with posterior termination of nasals 

 usually pointed. 



Measurememts.- — Average and extremes of ten adult males 

 from Sicily : head and body, 143 (130-150) ; tail, 118 (110-131) ; 

 hind foot, 28-8 (27-30) ; ear from meatus, 23-6 (22-25). Four 

 adult females from the same region : head and body, 142 (136— 

 150); tail, 111-4 (105-120); hind foot, 27-7 (27-29). Three 

 adult females from Calabria, Italy : head and body, 143 (140- 

 145) ; tail, 130-6 (125-135) ; hind foot, 28-6 (27-30) ; ear from 

 meatus, 22 -6 (22-24). For cranial measurements see Table, 

 p. 564. 



Specimens examined. — Thirty-four, from the following localities : — ■ 

 Italy : Tuscany (no exact locality), 1 (U.S.N.M.) ; Sorrento, 5 ; type 



and paratypes of cincticauda (U.S.N.M.) ; Santa Eufemia d'Aspromonte, 



Calabria, 9. 



Sicily : Palermo, 3 ; Ficuzza, 7 ; San Giuglielmo, Castelbuono, 3 ; 



Mondello, 2 ; Madonna del Alto, 4. 



Bemarhs. — In general the South Italian Eliomys so closely 

 agrees with E. quercinus as to require no detailed description. 

 The larger size, readily appreciable in skull, teeth and hind foot, 

 is alone sufficient to distinguish it ; but in addition to this there 

 is the peculiar black-ringed tail, a character nearly always 

 diagnostic as compared with E. quercinus, though shared by the 

 much larger Iberian E. lusitanicus. In details of form the skull 

 shows no peculiarities other than the tendency of the nasals to 

 terminate posteriorly in a distinct median point. The type 

 specimen is an immature individual in the light transitional 

 pelage between the plumbeous first coat and the russet-tinged 

 livery of the adult. 



3 S, 6 9. Aspromonte, Calabria, O. Thomas (p). 6. 8. 4. 2-5. 



Italy. (A. Robert.) 8. 9. 1. 33-35. 



i, 9. Palermo, Sicily. J. I. S. Whitaker (p). 98. 10. 6. 6-7. 



(98. 10. 6. 6. Type of species.) 



9 juv. Palermo, Sicily. J. I. S. Whitaker (p). 11. 1. 1. 110. 



5 .J, 1 9. Picuzza, Sicily. O. Thomas (p). 6. 8. 4. 28-32. 



(A. Bobert.) 8. 9. 1. 32. 



