ON THE LINNAZAN GENERA MYRMECOPHAGA 
AND DIDELPHIS. 
JAMES A. G. REHN. 
I. MYRMECOPHAGA. 
IN the tenth edition of the Systema Nature, Linnaeus de- 
scribes three species under the generic name Myrmecophaga, 
i.e., Didactyla, Tridactyla, and Tetradactyla. Of these three, 
two have since been placed in new genera : Didactyla in Cyclopes 
(1821), and Tetradactyla in Uroleptes (1830). 
The remaining species, Tridactyla, is characterized as having 
three toes on the manus and four on the pes, and two pectoral 
and six abdominal mammae. 
The plates referred to in Seba's work are not identifiable, 
but the reference of Ray's (Quad., p. 241) quoted refers to the 
great ant-bear, and it states positively that the animal in ques- 
tion had four toes on the manus.! The latter part of the 
Linnzan description seems to refer to the great ant-bear, 
except the statement that it climbs trees. The habitat is 
America meridionali. 
This name is thus seen to cover a composite animal, one 
combining some points of the great ant-bear, and the Tamandua 
(there described as M. tetradactyla), with a number of digits 
and mammae present in none of the group of ant-eaters, and it 
should be thrown out of consideration. 
The type of the genus Myrmecophaga is, therefore, by elim- 
ination M. tetradactyla, Didactyla having been separated nine 
years before. 
In the twelfth edition Linnaeus recognizes four species of 
this genus — M. didactyla, M. tridactyla, M. jubata, and M. 
tetradactyla. M. jubata possesses a short description, with sev- 
! This Linnzus seems to have noticed later, and in the twelfth edition he 
transferred this reference from Tridactyla to Jubata. 
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