Records of occurrence.—Specimens examined, 6: 2 mi. W San Fernando, 180 ft., 1; 15 km. W Rancho Santa Rosa, Sierra Madre Oriental, 4500 ft., 1; Ejido Santa Isabel, 2000 ft., 1; Sierra de Tamaulipas, 2 mi. S, 10 mi. W Piedra, 1200 ft., 2; Joya Verde, 35 km. SW Victoria, 3800 ft., 1.
Additional records: Near Marmolejo, San Carlos Mts. (Dice, 1937:250); Hacienda Acuña, Sierra de Tamaulipas (Leopold, 1959:408, only seen); La Joya de Salas (Goodwin, 1954:14).
Ursus americanus eremicus Merriam
Black Bear
1904. Ursus americanus eremicus Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 17:154, October 6, type from Sierra Guadalupe, Coahuila.
Distribution in Tamaulipas.—Probably in high and remote parts of the Sierra Madre Oriental; recorded only from Agua Linda (Goodwin, 1954:14).
Bassariscus astutus flavus Rhoads
Ringtail
1894. Bassariscus astutus flavus Rhoads, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 45:417, January 30, type from Texas, exact locality unknown.
Distribution in Tamaulipas.—Western half of state.
The two specimens examined provide the second record of this species in Tamaulipas; they were shot in the bottom of an arid canyon. One animal was about 30 feet up from the ground in an oak tree, and the other was along a small arroyo containing pools of water.
From Rhoads' paper (1893:416-417) on the genus Bassariscus it would seem that B. astutus flavus differs from B. a. astutus in smaller size, especially of the skull, shorter tail (shorter than head and body in flavus and longer than head and body in astutus) and the presence of fulvous color. Comparison of 10 specimens of B. a. flavus from Coahuila and Texas with two of B. a. astutus (Distrito Federal, 1; Las Vigas, Veracruz, 1) from central México reveals that the skulls do not differ qualitatively and that the skull of flavus tends to be smaller and relatively wider, but that there is overlap in size. In all flavus that I measured and in the two adults of astutus the tail is shorter than the head and body. The only real difference is the color; ringtails from Texas are deep fulvous instead of grayish as is astutus from the Distrito Federal and Veracruz. But the specimen from Veracruz has much fulvous and on the other hand specimens from Coahuila are more grayish than those from Texas.