A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha Part 3

1828. _Lepus_ (_Lagomys_) _princeps_ Richardson, Zool. Jour., 3:520, type from headwaters of Athabaska River, near Athabaska Pa.s.s, Alberta.

1897. [_Ochotona_] _princeps_, Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium, p.

648.

_Marginal records._--British Columbia: headwaters South Pine River (Anderson, 1947:95). Alberta: Muskeg Creek "about" 60 mi. N Jasper House (_ibid._). British Columbia: Morrissey (_ibid._). Montana: mts. near St. Marys Lake (A. H. Howell, 1924:14); mts. 15 mi. E Corvallis (_ibid._); Lake Como, Bitterroot Mts. (_ibid._). Idaho: Coeur d' Alene Nat'l Forest (Rust, 1946:322). British Columbia: Mt.

Evans, "near" Cranbrook (A. H. Howell, 1924:14); Spillamacheen River (_ibid._)

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS SAXATILIS Bangs.

1899. _Ochotona saxatilis_ Bangs, Proc. New England Zool. Club, 1:41, June 5, type from Montgomery, "near" Mt. Lincoln, Park County, Colorado.

1924. _Ochotona princeps saxatilis_, A. H. Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 47:23, September 23.

_Marginal records_ (A. H. Howell, 1924:24, except as otherwise noted).--Wyoming: Medicine Bow Mts.; just above Centennial in mts.

(Martin, 1943:394). Colorado: Estes Park; Pikes Peak; Silverton.

Utah: La Sal Mts. Colorado: Crystal Lake, 5 mi. W Lake City; Middle Brush Creek; Ten Mile Creek; Berthoud Pa.s.s; _Irwin Lakes_ (A. H.

Howell, _loc. cit._) not found.

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS SCHISTICEPS (Merriam).

1889. _Lagomys schisticeps_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 2:11, October 30, type from Donner, Placer County, California.

1936. _Ochotona princeps schisticeps_, A. H. Miller, Jour. Mamm., 17:174, May 18.

1897. _Ochotona schisticeps_ Merriam, Mazama, 1:223, October.

_Marginal records._--Nevada (Hall, 1946:590): 12 mi. E and 3 mi. N Ft. Bidwell, 5700 ft.; 8400-8600 ft., Duffer Peak, Pine Forest Mts.

California (A. H. Howell, 1924:39): Tahoe; _Donner Pa.s.s_; 12 mi. NE Prattville; La.s.sen Peak; Mt. Shasta.

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS SEPTENTRIONALIS Cowan and Racey.

1947. _Ochotona princeps septentrionalis_ Cowan and Racey, Canadian Field-Nat., 60:102, March 17, type from 6500 ft., Itcha Mountains, 52 45' N lat., 125 W long., British Columbia. Known from type locality only.

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS SHELTONI Grinnell.

1918. _Ochotona schisticeps sheltoni_ Grinnell, Univ. California Publ. Zool., 17:429, April 25, type from 11,000 ft., "near" Big Prospector Meadow, White Mountains, Mono County, California.

1946. _Ochotona princeps sheltoni_, Hall, Mammals of Nevada, p. 593, July 1.

_Marginal records._--Nevada: 8700 ft., Pinchot Creek (Hall, 1946:593). California: type locality.

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS TAYLORI Grinnell.

1912. _Ochotona taylori_ Grinnell, Proc. Biol. Soc. Was.h.i.+ngton, 25:129, July 31, type from 9000 ft., Warren Peak, Warner Mts., Modoc Co., Calif.

_Marginal records_ (V. Bailey, 1936:113, unless otherwise noted).--Oregon: N end of Steens Mts.; Guano Valley; Jack Lake, 20 mi. NE Adel; Adel. California (A. H. Howell, 1924:40): type locality; 5400 ft., "near" Termo, Madeline Plains; nr. head Little Shasta Riv. Oregon: Lower Klamath Lake.

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS TUTELATA Hall.

1934. _Ochotona princeps tutelata_ Hall, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 47:103, June 13, type from 8150 ft., Greenmonster Canyon, Monitor Mts., Nye County, Nevada.

_Marginal records_ (Hall, 1946:591).--Nevada: 7500 ft., Smiths Creek, Desatoya Mts.; 8600 ft., type locality; 8700-11,000 ft., SW and W slopes Mt. Jefferson, Toquima Range; South Twin River; _Arc Dome_.

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS UINTA Hollister.

1912. _Ochotona uinta_ Hollister, Proc. Biol. Soc. Was.h.i.+ngton, 25:58, April 13, type from "near" head E. Fork Bear River, Uinta Mts., Utah.

1924. _Ochotona princeps uinta_, A. H. Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 47:19, September 23.

_Marginal records._--Utah: type locality; Elk Park (Hall and Bowlus, 1938:337); _11,000 to 11,500 ft., The Nipple_ (_ibid._); 10,500 ft., SW slope Bald Mtn. (_op. cit._:336); Mt. Timpanogos (_op.

cit._:337); 8500 ft., Morehouse Canyon, 5 mi. above Weber River (_op. cit._:337); _Spirit Lake_ (_op. cit._:336) not found.

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS UTAHENSIS Hall and Hayward.

1941. _Ochotona princeps utahensis_ Hall and Hayward, Great Basin Nat., 2:107, July 20, type from 2 mi. W Deer Lake, Garfield County, Utah.

_Marginal records._--Utah: 9000 ft., Donkey Lake, Boulder Mtn.

(Durrant, MS); type locality.

OCHOTONA PRINCEPS VENTORUM A. H. Howell.

1919. _Ochotona uinta ventorum_ A. H. Howell, Proc. Biol. Soc.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 32:106, May 20, type from Fremont Peak, Wind River Mts., Fremont County, Wyoming.

1924. _Ochotona princeps ventorum_ A. H. Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 47:18, September 23.

_Marginal records._--Montana: Emigrant Peak (A. H. Howell, 1924:19); Beartooth Mts. (_ibid._). Wyoming: 9600 ft., 19 mi. E and 4 mi. S Sh.e.l.l (20882 KU); head of Trappers Creek (A. H. Howell, 1924:19); Medicine Wheel Ranch, 28 mi. E Lovell (32919 KU); Needle Mtn. (A. H.

Howell, 1924:19); Lake Fork (_ibid._); 8450 ft., 17 mi. S and 6 mi. W Lander (37994 KU); Middle Piney Lake, "near" Stanley (A. H.

Howell, 1924:19); Salt River, 16 mi. S Afton (Hall and Bowlus, 1938:337); Teton Pa.s.s (A. H. Howell, 1924:19). Idaho: Teton Canyon (Davis, 1939:349).

Family LEPORIDAE--Rabbits and Hares

Hind legs longer than forelegs; ears longer than wide; frontal bone carrying supraorbital process consisting always of posterior arm and sometimes of anterior arm; rostrum wide; nasals not wider anteriorly than posteriorly; maxillae conspicuously fenestrated; jugal projecting less than half way from zygomatic root of squamosal to external auditory meatus (except in _Romerolagus_); pubic symphysis well marked; dental formula, i. 2/1, c. 0/0, p. 3/2, m. 3/3 (but m. 2/3 in _Pentalagus_ of Liu Kiu Islands south of j.a.pan); second upper maxillary tooth like third in form; last lower molar double; cutting edge of first upper incisor straight; mental foramen of mandible situated under first lower cheek-tooth. Females average larger than males in all members of this family. (See Orr, 1940:20.) The reverse is true in most other families of mammals.

Hare is a name applied to any lagomorph whose young are born fully haired, with the eyes open, and able to run about a few minutes after birth. The young are born in the open, not in a nest. All of the species of the genus _Lepus_ are hares. The species of leporids of all genera other than _Lepus_, in North America at least, are rabbits. Their young are born naked, blind, and helpless, in a nest especially built for them and lined with fur. Considering the degree of development of the young at birth, the gestation periods are about what a person would expect: 26 to 30 days in _Sylvilagus_ and 36 to 47 days in _Lepus_ (see Severaid, 1950:356-357). Vernacular names are misleading because the names jack rabbit and snowshoe rabbit are applied to hares; also, Belgian hare is a name applied to a rabbit (genus _Oryctolagus_) that is commonly bred in captivity. There are many domestic strains and varieties of _Oryctolagus_ and the animals are second only to poultry in some areas as a protein food for man. Also, the pelts are sold as a source of felt and many of the skins are dyed and processed for making fur coats and other fur-pieces that appear on the market under names not readily a.s.sociated with rabbit.

Rabbits and hares are crepuscular and possibly more nocturnal than diurnal. So far as I know they do not store food as do their diurnal relatives, the pikas. Some leporids, however, have an unusual, and possibly unique, method of processing food: Two types of vegetable pellets are expelled from the a.n.a.l opening of the digestive tract; the dark brownish pellets, from which the nutriments have been extracted, are feces, but the greenish pellets seem to be only slightly predigested foods which are re-eaten. Southern (1942:553), among others, has written about this. This system functionally resembles that in the ruminants where a cud of vegetation is returned to the mouth, from one part of the stomach, to be re-chewed and finally swallowed.

Because the causative organism of a disease that decimates dense populations of small mammals, and some other kinds of vertebrates, was isolated first in leporids, this disease, tularemia, is more a.s.sociated in the popular mind with rabbits than with other kinds of mammals.

Actually, many kinds of mammals are quite as likely to have tularemia as are rabbits. Now that streptomycin is available, cases of tularemia in persons are easily cured.

KEY TO SPECIES OF THE GENERA SYLVILAGUS AND ROMEROLAGUS

1. Antorbital extension of supraorbital process more than length of posterior extension; first upper cheek-tooth with only one re-entrant angle on anterior face; re-entrant angle of second upper cheek-tooth not crenate _Sylvilagus idahoensis_, p. 139