566 



REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



LUTRA CANADENSIS LATAXINA (F. Cuvier). 

 SOUTHERN OTTER. 



Lutra lataxina F. Cuvier, Diet, des Sei. Nat., Vol. 27, p. 242, 1823. 

 Lutra hudsonica Evermann and Butler, Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. 



for 1893, p. 138, 1894. 

 Lutra canadensis Hahn, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 32, p. 463, 



1907. 



Diagnostic characters. — Toes webbed ; color yellowish brown ; 

 habits aquatic. 



Description. — The characters said to distinguish this subspecies 

 from the northern otter, L. canademis, are the lighter color and 

 more sparsely haired webs on the soles of the feet. The body bears 

 some resemblance to that of the mink in shape, but is much larger. 

 The head is broad and flat, with the muzzle naked for a quite a 

 large space. The ears are small and rounded; legs very short and 

 feet very broad, the tips of the toes forming a semicircle when out- 

 spread. In southern specimens they are nearly naked underneath, 

 while in the northern race they are densely furred. 



In addition to geographic reasons for assigning the Indiana 

 otter to the subspecies lataxina, Baird describes one from Fort 

 Wayne,* saying that it has less hair on the under side of the feet 

 than one from Washington City. The latter is lataxina and the lack 

 of hair on the soles of the Indiana specimen would seem to indicate 

 that the characters of the southern form are even more pronounced 

 in the Indiana otters. 



Measurements.- — Miller gives the following: Total length, 1,100 

 mm. (433/4 in.) ; tail, 420 mm. (I6I/0 in.) ; hind foot, 125 mm. (5 

 in.). Baird gives the total length of the specimen mentioned above 

 as 49 inches. 



Sknll and teeth. — The skull (fig. 15) is remarkably wide in pro- 

 portion to its depth. The rostrum is very strong and consecpiently 

 does not lack much of being as deep as the braiiicas;^; braincase 

 broad and tapering to a distinct constriction back of the orbits; 

 postorbital processes short, ])road and strong and placed very far 

 forward relative to the zygomatic arches; last upper premolar and 

 true molar both broad and strong, l)ut not markcMl with strong 

 projections or cusps. 



Range. — This subspecies was formerly found from the Gulf 

 States about to the Canadian ])or(ler and from the Atlantic at 



* In the tablo of nu^asuromonls ho gives lliis locality as "Fort Wayne, Ark.," 

 there is good reason to believe that this is a misprint and that Fort Wayne, 

 nidiana, is intended. 



