Sylvilagus audubonii minor Mearns
1896. Lepus arizonae minor Mearns, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 18:557, June 24.
1907. S[ylvilagus]. a[uduboni]. minor, Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 20:83, July 22.
Nelson (N. Amer. Fauna, 29:230, August 31, 1909) listed, without comment, under Sylvilagus audubonii cedrophilus Nelson, a skin with skull inside (Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 5419, ♀ adult or sub-adult) from San Diego, Chihuahua, Mexico. We locate San Diego approximately 230 miles south and 60 miles east of El Paso, Texas. Thus, the specimen is from near the center of the geographic range of Sylvilagus audubonii minor. With the permission of Mr. G.G. Goodwin of the American Museum of Natural History we removed the skull. It differs in no essential features from those of other specimens of S. a. minor. For example, of specimens in the United States National Museum, Biological Surveys Collection, a female (No. 132002) from Guzman in Chihuahua, and a male (No. 51020) from Santa Rosalia in the same state, are almost indistinguishable from the San Diegan specimen. The specimen is without external measurements but the length of the hind foot and length of ear from the notch in the dry state (80 and 57, respectively) agree with the corresponding measurements of S. a. minor. Color of the skin furnishes no diagnostic character as between S. a. minor and S. a. cedrophilus. We identify the specimen from San Diego as Sylvilagus audubonii minor.
Transmitted January 30, 1951.
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