In 1943 a series of fifteen spiny pocket mice, Liomys irroratus, was obtained within a radius of five miles of Pátzcuaro and, mostly on geographic considerations, the animals were assigned to Liomys irroratus alleni (Coues). In fact, in his "Revision of the Spiny Pocket Mice," Goldman (N. Amer. Fauna, 34:57, 1911) had thus identified the one specimen available to him from Pátzcuaro. Critical examination of the series, however, revealed cranial features not described in the named kinds from adjoining geographic areas, and comparisons showed that the animal from Pátzcuaro differs subspecifically from any named kind. The new subspecies may be known as:
Liomys irroratus acutus, new subspecies
Type.—Female, adult, skin and skull; No. 100171, Univ. California Mus. Vert. Zool.; 2 mi. W. Pátzcuaro, 7700 ft., Michoacán, Mexico; March 10, 1943; obtained by E. R. Hall and J. R. Alcorn, original No. 3837 of Alcorn.
Range.—Known only from the vicinity of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
Diagnosis.—Size large (see measurements); upper parts dark brown; posterior border of nasals V-shaped with apex directed anteriorly; frontomaxillary suture medially concave or rarely straight; interparietal subcircular; basisphenoid wide; tympanic bullae large.
Comparisons.—From Liomys irroratus alleni, acutus differs as follows: Color slightly darker brown on upper parts; size slightly less; posterior border of nasals V-shaped rather than truncate; frontomaxillary suture medially concave or straight instead of convex; interparietal subcircular (anterior border) rather than triangular; basisphenoid broader; tympanic bullae larger and more inflated. From Liomys irroratus jaliscensis (topotypes), acutus differs as follows: Color slightly darker brown on upper parts; size larger, without overlap, in external measurements and in basilar length, length of nasals and mastoid breadth; posterior border of nasals V-shaped rather than almost truncate; frontomaxillary suture medially concave or straight rather than convex; interparietal subcircular rather than quadrilateral; basisphenoid wider; tympanic bullae larger. From Liomys irroratus pullus, acutus differs in longer body, shorter tail, slightly longer hind foot; all of upper parts, and especially upper side of tail, more brownish and less blackish; posterior border of nasals and frontomaxillary suture differing in same way as from alleni; interorbital region narrower in relation to length of skull; over-all length of skull greater; interparietal anteroposteriorly longer; tympanic bullae more inflated.
Figs. 4-6. Three views of the skull of the type specimen of Liomys irroratus acutus. × 1.
Remarks.—This relatively large, dark-colored, spiny pocket mouse of east-central Michoacán differs from its geographic neighbors in V-shape of posterior border of nasals, semicircular shape of interparietal, medially concave maxillofrontal suture, wide basisphenoid and larger tympanic bullae. The latter character is not constant. Intergradation with L. i. alleni is shown by specimens from Querendaro in which the shape of the interparietal is exactly intermediate between those of topotypes of the two subspecies and also in that the basisphenoid is wider than in acutus but narrower than in alleni. Intergradation with L. i. jaliscensis is shown, by specimen No. 120275 (U. S. N. M.) from Zamora, in shape of posterior end of nasals, direction of maxillofrontal suture, and shape of interparietal. In each of these features the specimen from Zamora is almost exactly intermediate between acutus and jaliscensis. In large size of tympanic bullae and wider basisphenoid the specimen agrees with acutus, but otherwise is nearly as small as jaliscensis to which it is here referred. Actually the specimen could, with almost equal propriety, be referred to either subspecies.