HISTORY OF MAMMALOGY

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In Tamaulipas the first exploration directed in substantial measure toward finding out about the mammalian fauna, at least as far as I know, was made by Dr. L. Berlandier, who traveled mainly in the northern half of the state. His collections provided specimens of several previously unknown mammals, which were described by Baird (1858). The original manuscript of Berlandier never has been published. About 1880 Dr. E. Palmer collected mammals in the southern part of Tamaulipas, in the area around Tampico. The results of his exploration were reported by J. A. Allen (1881). E. W. Nelson and E. A. Goldman twice collected in Tamaulipas (Goldman, 1951). In 1898 they visited and collected mammals in the southern part of the state, around Tampico, Altamira, Victoria, ForlÓn, and Miquihuana. In 1901-1902 they visited the area between Nuevo Laredo and Bagdad, then went south to Soto la Marina and Victoria. From their collections several species and subspecies have been described. Between 1910 and the early 1920's little was done in the way of scientific exploration because of the Mexican Revolution.

From 1930 on, several expeditions yielded new information about the native mammals. In that year L. B. Kellum visited the Sierra San Carlos. The results were reported by Dice (1937). Another important collection from Tamaulipas was made by Marian Martin in the area of GÓmez FarÍas. Mammals collected by her were reported by Goodwin (1954). Hooper (1953) also reported specimens from GÓmez FarÍas but included in his report records of mammals collected in other areas as well. In 1950 E. R. Hall and C. von Wedel made a trip to the barrier beach in the northeastern part of the state and collected several kinds of mammals among which three were described as new by Hall (1951).

The report here presented is based upon specimens in the Museum of Natural History of The University of Kansas that were collected mainly by the persons named beyond. Gerd H. Heinrich and his wife Hilda collected in 1952 and 1953 in the areas around Miquihuana, Ciudad Victoria, Soto la Marina, Sierra de Tamaulipas, and Altamira. W. J. Schaldach collected in 1949 and 1950 in the Sierra Madre Oriental south of Ciudad Victoria; he returned to Tamaulipas in 1954 in company with V. Grissino and worked in the Sierra Madre Oriental south and north of Ciudad Victoria. In 1961 P. L. Clifton and J. H. Bodley collected in the northwestern part of the state and in the western part, around Tula, NicolÁs, and Tajada. Some students and staff members of the Museum have occasionally collected in Tamaulipas.

As a result of all the mentioned expeditions and others, 32 species and subspecies have been described with type localities in Tamaulipas. They are:

  • Altamira
  • Lepus californicus altamirae Nelson
  • Sciurus aureogaster aureogaster (Cuvier) (by restriction)
  • Sciurus deppei negligens Nelson
  • Geomys tropicalis Goldman
  • Antiguo Morelos, 8 mi. N of
  • Tadarida laticaudata ferruginea Goodwin
  • Brownsville (Texas), 45 mi. from
  • Scalopus inflatus Jackson
  • Charco Escondido
  • Perognathus hispidus hispidus Baird
  • Neotoma micropus micropus Baird
  • El Carrizo
  • Peromyscus ochraventer Baker
  • GÓmez FarÍas
  • Heterogeomys hispidus negatus Goodwin
  • Hacienda Santa Engracia
  • Oryzomys fulvescens engracia Osgood
  • Jaumave
  • Dipodomys ordii durranti Setzer
  • La Pesca, 1 mi. E of
  • Spermophilus spilosoma oricolus Alvarez
  • Matamoros
  • Cryptotis parva berlandieri (Baird)
  • Lasiurus intermedius intermedius (H. Allen)
  • Dasypus novemcinctus mexicanus Peters (by restriction)
  • Cratogeomys castanops tamaulipensis Nelson and Goldman
  • Felis yagouaroundi cacomitli Berlandier
  • Matamoros, 88 mi. S, 10 mi. W of
  • Lepus californicus curti Hall
  • Dipodomys ordii parvabullatus Hall
  • Sigmodon hispidus solus Hall
  • Mier
  • Canis latrans microdon Merriam
  • Miquihuana
  • Idionycteris mexicanus Anthony (Plecotus phyllotis)
  • Cratogeomys castanops planifrons Nelson and Goldman
  • Onychomys torridus subrufus Hollister
  • Neotoma albigula subsolana Alvarez
  • Odocoileus virginianus miquihuanensis Goldman and Kellogg
  • Rancho del Cielo, 5 mi. NW GÓmez FarÍas
  • Cryptotis mexicana madrea Goodwin
  • Reithrodontomys megalotis hooperi Goodwin
  • Rancho Santa Ana, about 8 mi. SW Padilla
  • Oryzomys melanotis carrorum Lawrence
  • Sierra de Tamaulipas, 10 mi. W, 2 mi. S Piedra
  • Myotis keenii auriculus Baker and Stains
  • Sierra San Carlos, 12 mi. NW San Carlos
  • Peromyscus pectoralis collinus Hooper

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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