34 
Clearwater, Feldhamer, Morgan, and Chapman 
postorbital process (0.385) were the most important discriminating 
variables and accounted for an additional 22.9% of among-group 
variation. The overall percentage of individuals correctly classified was 
only 63.3% (Table 1). Because all cases were used to derive the functions, 
this percentage actually overestimated the accuracy of the functions 
(Williams 1983). That the correct-classification rate was inflated is 
further suggested by the calculation of Cohen’s kappa = 0.447 (Z = 4.96, 
P < 0.0001), the chance-corrected percentage of agreement between 
actual and predicted group memberships (Titus et al. 1984). Specimens 
from central Maryland overlapped considerably with the western and 
eastern groups. There also was considerable overlap among Maryland 
raccoons and P. l.fuscipes, possibly because subadults may have been 
included in the latter sample. 
Significant differences (ANOVA F-test, P < 0.05) among the three 
Maryland groups occurred in four skull variables. Duncan’s Multiple 
Range test indicated the width of rostrum, width of braincase, and 
width of postorbital processes were significantly smaller in the eastern 
group; western and central groups were not different. The western 
group had significantly shorter incisive foramina (Table 2). This supports 
Dozier’s statement (1948) that the skull of P. /. maritimus is narrower 
than in raccoons from western or central Maryland. 
There is no ecological or geographic evidence (Vokes 1957) that 
raccoons in Maryland were ever isolated. Dozier’s (1948) statements 
that P. /. maritimus is restricted to marshland are not necessarily 
supported by recent telemetry studies. Sherfy and Chapman (1983) 
found that radiocollared raccoons at Blackwater National Wildlife 
Refuge alternately used marsh and woodland as activity areas, although 
sample size (n = 2) was very small. Thus, there probably is no ecological 
barrier to isolate what Dozier termed maritimus from lotor. Raccoons 
are highly mobile with observed morphological variation among 
populations often explained by elevation, temperature, and habitat 
factors (Kennedy and Lindsay 1984) as well as genetic considerations. 
Although there is no clear consensus on subspecific criteria, we concur 
with Paradiso’s (1969) opinion that the morphological differences among 
Maryland raccoons do not justify designating those on the eastern shore 
as a subspecies, and P. L maritimus Dozier should be considered a 
synonym of P. /. lotor (Linnaeus). 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . — We thank Kimberly Titus and Richard 
Highton for critically reviewing an early draft of the manuscript. J. 
Dunn, Appalachian Environmental Lab, and R. Fisher, National 
Museum of Natural History, assisted in data collection. Computer time 
