Mustela frenata goldmani (Merriam)
Long-tailed Weasel
Plates [1], [24], [25], [26] and [30]
Putorius frenatus goldmani Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:28, June 30, 1896; Elliot, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 18:236, December 9, 1905.
Mustela frenata goldmani, Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:100, December 31, 1912; Hall, Carnegie Instit. Washington Publ. 473:109, November 20, 1936.
Type.—Male, adult, skull and skin; no. 77519, U. S. Nat. Mus., Biol. Surv. Coll.; Pinabete, Chiapas, México; February 10, 1896; obtained by E. A. Goldman (on attached label collectors recorded as Nelson and Goldman); original no. 9279.
The skull (plates [24] and [30]) has the rostrum badly injured. All the right, and part of the left nasal, the upper part of the right maxilla, the postorbital process and intervening area of frontals are missing. Each zygomatic arch is broken but the parts are present and attached to the skull. The frontal and interorbital regions are greatly malformed owing to parasites that infested the sinuses. Right I2 and I3, right and left i3, and the medial parts of the paraconid and protoconid of right m1 are missing. The light facial markings are less extensive than in any of the referred specimens. These markings consist of a separate spot between the eyes and a white line, confluent with the color of the underparts, on each side of the head, that extends from the base of the ear to above the eye. The dark color of the underparts is represented at the angles of the mouth by a spot on the left side and a similar dark area, confluent with the dark color of the face, on the right side. The large size, characters of the skull, and scrotal pouch on the skin prove the specimen to be a male as stated on the label.
Range.—Two thousand five hundred feet (El Cipres, Guatemala) to 9500 feet (near Tecpám, Guatemala), Upper Tropical Life-zone of mountains and western coasts of southern México, Guatemala and Salvador. See figure [29] on page [221].
Characters for ready recognition (characters based on males).—Differs from M. f. nicaraguae and M. f. perda by larger size (total length of adult males more than 489), least width of color of underparts not less than 26 per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts, weight of skull of adult male more than 5 grams; from M. f. macrophonius by smaller size (total length of adult males less than 540), skull of male with basilar length less than 52.5 and weight less than 6 grams; from M. f. perotae (typical specimens of same sex not available) by darker color of upper parts which are Argus Brown or darker rather than Brussels Brown; nonextension of color of underparts onto hind feet; from M. f. leucoparia in least width of color of underparts not more than 37 per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts; color of underparts not extended onto hind feet; black tip of tail two-fifths rather than one-fourth as long as tail-vertebrae; height of tympanic bulla less than four-fifths distance from its anterior margin to foramen ovale.
Description.—Size.—Male: Four adults yield average and extreme measurements as follows: Total length, 508 (500-512); length of tail, 196 (185-207); length of hind foot, 55.5 (54-58). Tail averages 63 (59-67) per cent as long as head and body. Length of hind foot more than basal length.
Female: Typical specimen unknown.
Externals.—Longest facial vibrissae black and reaching beyond ear; carpal vibrissae wholly or in part of same color as upper parts and reaching as far as hypothenar pad; hairiness of foot-soles distinctly less than that shown in figure [20] on page [60].
Color.—Spot between eyes, band, confluent with color of underparts, on each side of head extending anterodorsally anterior to each ear and posterior third of each upper lip, white; remainder of sides and top of head and neck posteriorly to or slightly behind shoulders, black; dark spots at angles of mouth usually absent; tip of tail black; remainder of upper parts Argus Brown or near (n) Argus Brown; chin, throat and breast white; remainder of underparts near (16' c) Ochraceous-Buff; color of underparts extending distally on posterior sides of forelegs onto medial toes and on hind legs to points between knees and heels. Least width of color of underparts, in five adult males, averaging 28 (extremes 26-33) per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts; black tip of tail, in four adult males, averaging 40 per cent of length of tail-vertebrae.
Skull and teeth.—Male (based on five adults): See measurements and plates [24]-[26], [30]; weight, 5.4 (5.3-5.5) grams; basilar length, 49.9 (49.6-51.3); zygomatic breadth (except in no. 12523 from Salvador) more than or equal to distance between condylar foramen and M1 or between anterior palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla. Mastoid breadth less than postpalatal length; postorbital breadth more or less than length of upper premolars and greater than width of basioccipital measured from median margin of one foramen lacerum posterior to its opposite; interorbital breadth less than distance between foramen opticum and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; breadth of rostrum less than length of tympanic bulla; least width of palate more or less than length of P4; anterior margin of tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen ovale as width of five upper incisors; height of tympanic bulla less than distance from its anterior margin to foramen ovale; length of tympanic bulla more than length of lower molar and premolar tooth-row and shorter than or equal to length of rostrum; anterior margin of masseteric fossa immediately behind m2.
Female: Typical skull unknown.
Comparison of male skull with that of M. f. perda made in discussion of that form. Comparison with that of M. f. nicaraguae shows similar differences, some of which are more pronounced. For example, squamosals anterior to tympanic bullae more convex ventrally and these bullae project less from braincase than in M. f. perda; thus the difference in these features is greater between goldmani and nicaraguae than between goldmani and perda.
As compared with the skull of the male of M. f. macrophonius, each one of the skulls of the adult males of M. f. goldmani is smaller in every measurement taken, with two exceptions. The width of the tympanic bullae was more in three specimens of M. f. goldmani as was also the depth of the same in three specimens. Relative to the basilar length all but two of these measurements average less in goldmani; the exceptions are the zygomatic breadth and depth of the skull at the anterior margin of the tympanic bullae which average more. Relative to the basilar length, the orbitonasal length and depth of the skull at the posterior margin of M1 are less in each skull of goldmani. Thus, excepting the width and height of the tympanic bullae and the relative zygomatic breadth and relative depth of the braincase posteriorly, the skull of goldmani is shorter and relatively as well as actually narrower and lighter throughout.
As compared with the skull of the male of M. f. leucoparia, that of M. f. goldmani averages a trifle shorter and no skull of goldmani equals that of leucoparia in actual or relative zygomatic and mastoid breadths or length or height of tympanic bullae. In depth, the skull of goldmani averages actually and relatively greater. Its teeth are smaller. The squamosal anterior to each tympanic bulla is convex ventrally whereas it is concave ventrally in leucoparia as in frenata.
Remarks.—When Merriam (1896:28) named this subspecies, he had only one specimen but he called attention to the more important diagnostic characters, which additional specimens show pertain to the race as a whole.