20 
Clayton E. Ray, Elaine Anderson, S. David Webb 
Table 1. Measurements (mm) of P- in some specimens of Trigonictis and 
Sminthosinis. 
Length 
Width 
Trigonictis macrocion 
ANSP 1 1626, holotype 
KUVP 4604, from 
1 1.1 
7.6 
Hibbard (1941a:347) 
UM V49728 (cast, in USNM), 
1 1.9 
7.8 
Hagerman local fauna 
11.1 
6.2 
USNM 23664, Hagerman local fauna 
11.4 
7.2 
USNM 23665, Hagerman local fauna 
11.6 
— 
Trigonictis cookii 
UM V49819, Hagerman local fauna. 
from Bjork (1970:26) 
9.6 
5.7 
Sminthosinis howler i 
Hagerman local fauna, from 
Bjork (1970:28) 
UM V52868, holotype 
8.01 
5.35 
UM V53344 
7.70 
5.08 
UM V55214 
7.93 
5.00 
UM V55952 
7.93 
5.15 
follow Cabrera (1958:258-265), except that we accord Grisonella full 
generic status, on the basis of absence of the metaconid in My, in agree- 
ment with Bjork (1970:28), in recognizing the following taxa: Galictis 
vittata for the gxhon.Grisonella cuja for the little grison, and Eira bar- 
bara for the tayra. Available to us for this study were 16 specimens of 
Galictis, 10 of Grisonella, and 49 of Eira at USNM, and 27 of Grisonella 
and 62 of Eira at BMNH. Trigonictis certainly requires close comparison 
to this group, but its precise affinities within it and with fossil galictines of 
Eurasia, as well as their interrelationships, are less clear. There seems to 
be merit in the opinion that the affinities of Eira could be musteline 
rather than galictine (cf. Pocock 1921, and Ficcarelli and Torre 1967), but 
we adhere to the more traditional arrangement, pending the necessary 
comprehensive review of fossil and modern material. 
In 1867 Cope probably had available at ANSP no specimens of Galic- 
tis vittata, two skulls and jaws of Grisonella cuja, and four of Eira (= 
Galera) barbara. Cope’s concept of Galictis, and assertion that it lacked 
the metaconid in Mj- (1868b: 156, footnote), obviously were based on 
Grisonella, then and now generally regarded as congeneric with Galictis 
vittata. With the exception of the obscure Putorius ardeus Bravard whose 
affinities were recognized only recently (see Viret 1954), none of the 
European fossils was known at that time; hence. Cope’s (1868b: 155-156) 
