Vol. XXVII, pp. 13-18 February 2, 1914 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



TEN NEW MARMOTS FROM NORTH AMERICA. 

 BY ARTHUR H. HOWELL. 



A study of the marmots or woodchucks of North America, 

 hased chiefly on the collections of the U. B. Department of 

 Agriculture, has revealed a surprisingly large number of unrec- 

 ognized races, and examination of a large amount of material 

 from practically all parts of the range of the genus has served 

 to show clearly that the three groups represented in North 

 America are practically three species, the forms in each group, 

 with the exception of two isolated species in the caligata group, 

 being all subspecifically related to one another. Thus the 

 flaviventer group (which includes engelhardti and dacota) ranges 

 from the Cascades of Oregon and the Sierra Nevada of California 

 to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and consists of a single 

 speqies divisible into 9 or more races connected by almost per- 

 fect series of intergrades. 



Since the publication of the results of this study may neces- 

 sarily be delayed for some time, it is deemed advisable to publish 

 here preliminary descriptions of the new forms. 



Marmota monax rufescens subsp. nov. 



RUFESCENT WOODCHUCK. 



Type from Elk River, Minnesota. Adult male, No. 186,521, U. S. 

 National Museum (Merriam Collection, No. Mff ) ; April 9, 1886, V. 

 Bailey; original number, 237. 



Characters. — Similar to M. m. monax (from Maryland and Virginia), 

 but colors much redder, both above and below, the underfur on back 

 pinkish cinnamon instead of light bufT; skull similar to that of monax, 

 but decidedly smaller and relatively broader across the zygomata; much 

 larger than that of canadensis. 



4— Peoc. Biol. Soo, Wash., Vol. XXVII, 1914. (13) 



