BULLETIN

OF THE

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES.

VOLUME V.

1879.

NUMBER 2.

Art. X.-On the Coatis (Genus Nasua, Storr).

By J. A. Allen.

Few of the terrestrial Fera present a greater range of color-variation, wholly independent of sex and age, than do the species of Coati. Neither does the history of many groups afford so remarkable a record of malidentifications and consequent confusion and complication of synonymy. Before entering further upon the general subject, it may be stated that the number of species recognized by even comparatively recent authors varies from one to five, while the aggregate number of synonyms falls little short of thirty. The two valid species of the group were very early and simultaneously recognized, but later one of them was almost wholly lost sight of for nearly half a century, so that the names given to them by the early systematic writers were variously combined and almost indiscriminately referred by later authors to the various nominal species they respectively recognized. As preliminary to any attempt to discriminate the species, and for the purpose of eluci dating the tables of synonymy given below, a somewhat extended historical summary of the literature of the subject may not be out of place.*

Brisson, in his "Règne Animal," in 1756, described two species of Coati under the names "Le Coati-Mondi" and "Le Coati-Mondi à queue annelée," which afterward became the basis respectively of Linné's Virerra narica and Viverra nasua. Brisson also described "Le Blaireau de Surinam-Meles surinamensis," which is also a Coati, referable to the

The present revision of the group is based mainly upon the rich material contained in the National Museum, the whole of which has been unreservedly placed at my disposal by the Director, Professor Spencer F. Baird. I am also greatly indebted to Mr. Alexander Agassiz for the use of the material contained in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Mass., which happily supplies important data that would have been otherwise inaccessible to me.

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species with an annulated tail. This later became in part the basis of Erxleben's Viverra vulpecula.* Only the first two of Brisson's three species above cited have special importance in the present connection. His diagnoses are so explicit as to leave no doubt respecting the particular species characterized, and they thus render Linné's Viverra narica and V. nasua perfectly determinable. Buffon also described and figured both species from specimens he was able to study in life, under the names "Le Coati brun" and "Le Coati noirâtre," corresponding respectively with Linné's Viverra narica and V. nasua. Schreber copied Buf fon's plates and adopted Linné's names. He seems, however, to have had personal knowledge of both species, and takes pains to clearly point out their specific differences, alluding to the fact that both Buffon and Pennant considered Viverra narica as merely a "variety" ("blosse Spielarten”) of V. nasua. Erxleben and Gmelin also adopted Linné's names, and correctly referred to them Brisson's and Buffon's species. G. Cuvier, in 1798, employed Buffon's vernacular names, but referred the species to the genus Ursus, retaining, however, the specific names given by Linné. Shaw, in 1800, gave Viverra narica as a "var.?", remarking that it had usually been considered as a variety of Viverra nasua, but adds: "It is, however, rather larger than the former [V. nasua], of a browner color, and without any annuli, or, at least, without any distinct variegations on the tail," thereby showing that he appreciated correctly some of the more obvious external characters of the two species. Up to this time the two species had not been confounded by systematic writers, and the references to Brisson and Buffon prove to have been correctly allocated. Desmarest, in 1817, apparently intended to adopt for the group Storr's generic name Nasua, of which he recognized three species, as follows: 1. "Le Coati, Nasua quasje, Geoffroy," to which he referred "Viverra quasje, Linn." (i. e., Gmelint), and Buffon's "le Coati noirâtre." 2. "Le

*The Viverra vulpecula of Erxleben is one of those curious compositions so frequently met with in the works of the earlier systematists, particularly those of Linné, Erxleben, and Gmelin, based on the descriptions and figures of still earlier writers, especially those of Hernandez, Seba, Jonston, Brisson, Buffon, and Schreber. These compositions frequently embraced what, in the light of the present day, can be recognized as several widely diverse species, belonging not unfrequently to distinct families of animals. While some of the citations are still indeterminable with certainty, others may be readily identified. Erxleben's first citation under his vulpecula is "Yzquiepatl seu Vulpecula, quae Maitzium torrefactum aemulator colore Hernand. Mex. p. 332 cum fig. mediocr.”, which is apparently the "Ichneumon de Yzquiepatl, seu Vulpecula Americana, quæ colore Maizium torrefactum æmulator" of Seba (Thesau. i, 1634, 68, pl. xlii, fig. 1), said to be "in America Quasje vocatur" and "vivum ad Surinam." The description and figure indicate an animal having some resemblance to a Coati, but is as likely to have been a Raccoon, and is certainly indeterminable with certainty. With it are combined Brisson's "Le Blaireau de Surinam," which is unquestionably a Nasua, and Buffon's "Le Coase" (Hist. Nat., xiii, pp. 288, 299, pl. xxxviii), which is beyond doubt the Pekan or Fisher of "Virginie," the Mustela pennanti of modern systematists, and (primarily) the Viverra vulpecula of Schreber, which Erxleben also quotes.

Although various writers cite a "liverra quasje, Linn.", the name originated with Gmelin (Syst. Nat., i, 87), whose first reference is: "V. castanea subtus flavescens, naso

Coati brun, Viverra narica, Linn.", to which he referred Buffon's "pl. 48" (the same plate is also referred to the preceding species!). 3. "Le Coati roux, Viverra nasua, Linn.", to which is referred Schreber's "pl. 118." In 1820 he made a still more thorough confusion of the species, of which he nominally recognized two, under the names Nasua rufa and Nasua fusca. His N. rufa is F. Cuvier's "Coati roux" (Hist. des Mam., livr. i), which is merely a red phase of the common V. nasua of Linné, while his N. fusca is a composition of Linné's V. narica with Marcgrave's "Coatimondi" (referred by Linné to his V. nasua), the Coati and Coati noirâtre of Buffon, and F. Cuvier's "Coati brun," which last is also referable to Linné's V. nasua.

F. Cuvier,* in 1817, nominally recognized two species, but really described only one, but confounded the synonyms of both. These are: 1. "Coati roux; Viverra nasua Linn." In his description of this he correctly says: "le queue est annelée de noir et de fauve." 2. "Coati brun; Viverra narica, Buff., pll. 47–48.” In his description of this he says: "le queue est annelée de noir et de jaune sale," and therefore it is not the Viverra narica of Linné. Furthermore, in citing here both of Buffon's plates lxvii and lxviii, he confounds both of the Linnæan species under the name "Viverra narica," and fails altogether to recognize the true narica.

Desmoulins, in 1823, followed F. Cuvier in making two species, and while he adopted Linné's names he wrongly referred Schreber's plate cxviii to Viverra nasua, and cites both of Buffon's plates lxvii and lxviii under V. narica. Lesson, in 1827, simply followed Desmarest's nomenclature and determinations of 1820.

F. Cuvier, in the first livraison of his "Histoire des Mammifères," published in 1818, figured the red phase of the Viverra nasua of Linné under the name "Le Coati roux," and in the fourth livraison (1819) of the same work figured a pale fulvous variety and a pale brown variety under the titles, respectively, of "Coati brun femelle, variété fauve," and "Coati brun, femelle," and in the forty-eighth livraison (1825) figured still another variety under the name "Coati brun-foncé"; all of which are unquestionably referable to the Linnæan Viverra nasua.

In 1826, Prinz Maximilian published his "Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte von Brasilien," in which work he bestowed on Linne's Viverra nasua the name Nasua socialis, and added a second species as "? 2. N. Solitaria," and further indicated 3. "? Nasua nocturna." He calls attention to the great variability in color that the Coatis present, referring to the fact that in the common Coati, known in systematic works as producto, cauda annulata. Syst. Nat. X, p. 44." His second citation is: "Meles ex saturate spadiceo nigricans, cauda fusca annulis flavicantibus quasi cincta. Briss. quadr. p. 185." Whether the first reference relates to Nasua or to Procyon is hard to determine, but the second is simply Brisson's "Blaireau de Surinam." "Quasje" is well known to be one of the native names applied to the Coatis in Surinam and some other parts of South America.

*Dict. des Sci. Nat., tome ix, 1817, p. 464.

"Nasua rufa," or " Viverra nasua," he had found red, gray, and brownish individuals in the same family. He therefore held all these animals for a single species till he learned from hunters that there were two, of which one was small and slender, and associated in numerous companies, while the other was larger, less slender, and lived singly or in families; the first being termed by the natives "Cuati de Bando"; the second, "Cuati Mundéo." Of the last, he says he had seen only a single example, yet he believed in its existence in consequence of the reports of the Brazilian hunters. He also says he regards it as unwise to name the species in reference to their color, as, for example, "Nasua rufa and subfusca,” but deems it better to bestow names in reference to their modes of life. He accordingly gives the name Nasua socialis to the "Cuati de Bando" of the natives, of which he met with many specimens, and of which he gives a detailed description. He says this is the common variety, which has been named Nasua rufa, and which is sometimes of a purer, sometimes of a more brownish red. His N. solitaria is the "Cuati Mundéo" of the Brazilians of the eastern coast, but he expresses doubt respecting its specific distinctness from his N. socialis. He describes the body as entirely yellowish ash-gray, darker on the back, pale yellowish-red below and yellowish-brown on the sides; tail very pale grayishred, annulated with blackish-brown. The single example seen by him, and which he describes, was an old male. Its larger size and stouter form, as compared with his N. socialis, described from female examples, as well as its different habits, have since been shown to be merely sexual or due to age. According to the Indians, this larger Coati (N. solitaria) agrees in habits with the other species, except that it lives singly or in families and is less social.

In commenting upon the general subject, he says it is certainly wrong to recognize three species of Coati, namely, "Nasua rufa, obfusca,* und narica," as Eschwege has done, or four, by adding Geoffroy's Nasua

*

rence.

In

Illiger is credited by Maximilian, Fischer, Gray, and others, with the names Nasua monde and Nasua obfusca, but neither of them gives references to the places of their occurGray, however, incorrectly adds, "Prodromus," but neither of these names occurs in Illiger's "Prodromus," where he merely recognized two species under the Linnæan names of nasua and narica. In his "Verzeichniss der in Süd-Amerika vorkommenden Gattungen und Arten," in his "Ueberblick der Säugthiere nach ihrer Vertheilung über die Welttheile" (Abhandl. Berlin. Akad. 1804-11), he enumerates eight "species" of Nasua as follows: "Nasua Monde, minor, spadicea, Narica, Quasje?, Squash?, ? Cuja, ?canina," but gives only the following means of identifying the new names. reference to them he says: "Die Arten [der Nasua], von ähnlicher Farbe und Bildung, sind bei den Schriftstellern sehr verwirrt. Ob Vulpecula, Quasje und Squash, wirklich selbständige Arten, oder nur junge Thiere andrer Arten sind, kann man nicht mit Sicherheit bestimmen. Ich rechne noch Mustela Cuja Molina und Gmelin, und Zimmermann's Koupara, den Canis sylvestris Seba Thesaur. I. Tab. 30. Fig. 1, zu dieser Gattung." The memoir in question abounds in similar instances of the multiplication of names without formal characterization, five South American “species” of Gulo, for example, being enumerated in the same connection.