1897. Limnolagus Mearns, Science, n. s., 5:393, March 5. Type Lepus aquaticus Bachman.
1950. Paludilagus Hershkovitz, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 100:333, May 26. Type Lepus palustris Bachman.
Characters of subgeneric worth, in contrast to those of the subgenus Brachylagus, are: First premolar, in upper jaw and in lower jaw, with more than one fold in the enamel; infolded enamel, which divides each molar tooth into two parts, crenate.
The many nominal species of the subgenus Sylvilagus belong to no more than 12 and perhaps to only ten full species. The now more abundant specimens than were available a half century ago reveal also that there are less trenchant differences between some of the species than were supposed to exist when the five names for genera or subgenera listed immediately above were proposed. Some species can be placed in each of two subgenera with almost equal propriety. If used, four of the five subgeneric names mentioned above would contain only one species each. It seems that no useful purpose is served by attempting to fit the several species of the genus Sylvilagus into more than the two subgenera Brachylagus and Sylvilagus; the other names, Tapeti Gray, Microlagus Trouessart, Limnolagus Mearns, and Paludilagus Hershkovitz, are here arranged as synonyms of the subgeneric name Sylvilagus Gray.
Sylvilagus brasiliensis
Forest Rabbit
Total length, 380-420; tail, 20-21; hind foot, 77-80; ear from notch (dry), 39-46. The principal characters of this species are small size, dark color, short tail, and dingy buffy (not white) undersurface of the tail. These rabbits rest in forests or other thick vegetative cover and do not venture far from such cover to feed.
Sylvilagus brasiliensis consobrinus Anthony.
1917. Sylvilagus gabbi consobrinus Anthony, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 37:335, May 28, type from Old Panamá, Panamá. Known from type locality only.
1950. Sylvilagus brasiliensis consobrinus, Hershkovitz, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 100:353, May 26.
Sylvilagus brasiliensis dicei Harris.