Arthur H. Harris

LATE PLEISTOCENE HORSES OF DRY CAVE, EDDY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO

Equus conversidens Owen, E. niobrarensis Hay, E. occidentalis Leidy referred, E. scotti Gidley referred, and a small zebrine horse are recognized from late Pleistocene deposits of Dry Cave, southeastern New Mexico. Equus midlandensis Quinn is synonymized with E. niobrarensis ; New Mexican specimens previously recognized as E. scotti are identified as E. niobrarensis . Cluster analysis of measurements of single elements, acting on matrices of taxonomic distances, appears to allow assignment of intermingled elements to species more successfully than do traditional comparative methods. Cluster analysis based on correlation matrices of limb proportions indicates close similarity of E. niobrarensis to E. przewalskii Poliakoff. Dental characters and cluster analysis suggest that E. conversidens belongs to the subgenus Hemionus or was derived from that subgenus.

Late Pleistocene and Holocene Microtus (Pitymys) (Rodentia: Cricetidae) in New Mexico

ABSTRACT Microtus (Pitymys) meadensis and M. (P.) quasiater show no special relationship to each other within the subgenus, and both differ greatly from M. (P.) ochrogaster. Samples of fossil Microtus (Pitymys) from late Pleistocene sites in southeastern New Mexico differ from each other and from modern M. ochrogaster to about the same degree as do some populations of modern M. ochrogaster from one another. All the southeastern New Mexican fossils pertain to that species as do mid-Holocene specimens from northwestern New Mexico and probably a late Pleistocene specimen from the southwestern part of the state. In southeastern New Mexico, M. ochrogaster was present near Dry Cave in small numbers during the mid-Wisconsinan, becoming and remaining more common until near the onset of full-glacial conditions, at which time they disappeared from the area. The region was repopulated in latest Wisconsinan times, but was again abandoned at the end of the Pleistocene. Tentative correlations between tooth characters a...

Myotis yumanensis in Interior Southwestern North America, with Comments on Myotis lucifugus

In areas of sympatry with Myotis yumanensis yumanensis, Myotis lucifugus is identifiable by darker ears, more gently sloping forehead, burnished hair tips, and greater mastoid breadth. Of 354 specimens tested by multivariate discriminate analysis, three are intermediate and judged probable hybrids. The area of California draining to Owens Lake supports a distinctive population of bat, herein given subspecific status. All Yuma myotis from the area of concern are considered M. y. yumanensis ; this bat varies in size clinally from small in the southwest (Sonora) to large in northeastern Utah-northwestern Colorado. Direct breeding continuity between the Lower and Upper Colorado River populations is interrupted by the Mogollon Rim and associated highlands; thus gene flow between these areas is by way of the Rio Grande to the east.

HOLOCENE FAUNA OF BIG MANHOLE CAVE, EDDY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO

Abstract Faunal remains of 40 vertebrate taxa were recovered from 15, 10-cm levels of Holocene deposits in Big Manhole Cave, New Mexico. Radiocarbon dates were determined for the 8 uppermost levels and ranged from 550 to 4,170 radiocarbon years before the present. Rapid deposition was indicated for levels 6, 7, and 8. Most identified taxa occurred in the immediate area at the time of our study, but the yellow-nosed cotton rat (Sigmodon ochrognathus), eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus cf., S. floridanus), and Mexican packrat (Neotoma mexicana) currently occur only at higher elevations in the region. The Mexican packrat was present in only the upper 4 levels, consistent with indications from other sites that it arrived east of the Rio Grande relatively recently. The extralimital taxa suggest greater effective precipitation, but the suggestion is confounded by our ignorance of pre-European ecological conditions in the area.

Status of Myotis lucifugus phasma and Comments on Variation in Myotis yumanensis

Preliminary studies of bats of the species Myotis yumanensis and M. lucifugus in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, indicate that the subspecies phasma, described by Miller and Allen as a race of M. lucifugus, may instead be referrable to the species M. yumanensis. Californian examples of phasma seem referrable to the species M. lucifugus, but may show evidence of introgression with M. yumanensis. New Mexico and east-central Arizona are occupied by a popula- tion of M. yumanensis which is darker in color than populations of this species in the remainder of Arizona and in Utah and Colorado. Efforts to identify two myotis collected at Allison, La Plata Co., Colorado, soon revealed the existence of considerable confusion in the literature regard- ing Myotis yumanensis yumanensis (H. Allen) and Myotis lucifugus phasma Miller and Allen. For example, Miller and Allen (1928) state that M. yuma- nensis is unknown in Colorado-but then list a specimen for that state. A more recent work (Hall and Kelson, 1959) maps the range of M. 1. phasma in such a manner as to exclude the type locality of the subspecies. We found our speci- mens were not assignable with certainty to either species on the basis of pub- lished descriptions. We wish to thank the Laboratory of Anthropology of the Museum of New Mexico, who supported the field work, and, for their generosity in lending

Two New Species of Late Pleistocene Woodrats (Cricetidae: Neotoma) from New Mexico

Two new species of Neotoma are described from New Mexican cave deposits older than late Wisconsinan full-stadial time. One of these species, morphologically similar to N. cinerea , N. fuscipes , and N. mexicana , is tentatively hypothesized to be a descendent of Neotoma cinerea populations isolated in the southeastern New Mexican highlands since early Wisconsinan stadial events; the other is most similar to the living Neotoma goldmani of north-central Mexico, and likely is ancestral to that species.

Late Wisconsin Mammalian Fauna from Dust Cave, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Culberson County, Texas

Abstract Three caves in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Culberson County, Texas, are closely grouped spatially, and their fossil-bearing sediments are about the same late Pleistocene age. Publications concerning two of the caves, Upper Sloth Cave and Lower Sloth Cave, list and discuss their fossil faunas. Here, we add identifications of mammals from the third site, Dust Cave, and briefly comment on selected taxa. Tamias canipes or T. quadrivittatus (gray-footed or Colorado chipmunk), Tamias minimus (least chipmunk), Reithrodontomys (harvest mouse), Sigmodon ochrognathus (yellow-nosed cotton rat), Aztlanolagus agilis (Aztlán rabbit), and Sorex nanus (dwarf shrew) are added to the faunal list of the cave complex. More questionable identifications of taxa not recorded from the other caves include Ictidomys tridecemlineatus (thirteen-lined ground squirrel), Thomomys talpoides (northern pocket gopher), and Capromeryx (miniature pronghorns). Reexamination of several taxa from the Sloth caves did not confirm published records of Cryptotis parva (least shrew), but added Sorex merriami (Merriams shrew) and confirmed the presence of Neotoma mexicana (Mexican woodrat) and Sorex cinereus (masked shrew). Resumen Tres cuevas en el Parque Nacional Guadalupe Mountains, condado de Culberson, Texas, están cerca de si, y sus sedimentos con fósiles representan aproximadamente el mismo periodo del pleistoceno tardío. Las publicaciones con respecto a dos de las cuevas, Upper Sloth Cave y Lower Sloth Cave, enlistan y discuten su fauna fósil. Aquí, agregamos identificaciones de mamíferos de la tercera cueva, Dust Cave, y brevemente comentamos sobre algunos taxa seleccionados. Tamias canipes o T. quadrivittatus (ardilla de pata gris o ardilla de Colorado), Tamias minimus (ardilla rayada menor), Reithrodontomys (ratón de cosecha), Sigmodon ochrognathus (rata algodonera de nariz amarilla), Aztlanolagus agilis (conejo de Aztlán), y Sorex nanus (musaraña enana) son añadidas a la lista de la fauna del complejo de cuevas. Identificación menos confiable de otros taxa que no fueron registrados para las otras cuevas incluyen Ictidomys tridecemlineatus (ardilla de tierra de trece líneas), Thomomys talpoides (tuza norteña), y Capromeryx (antílope miniatura). La revisión de varios taxa de las dos cuevas de Sloth no confirmó los registros publicados de Cryptotis parva (musaraña menor), pero agregó Sorex merriami (musaraña de Merriam) y confirmó la presencia de Neotoma mexicana (rata maderera) y Sorex cinereus (musaraña enmascarada).

Yellow-Nosed Cotton Rat (Sigmodon ochrognathus), a Long-Time Inhabitant of Trans-Pecos Texas and New Mexico

Abstract Pleistocene and Holocene fossils of the yellow-nosed cotton rat (Sigmodon ochrognathus) in New Mexico, Trans-Pecos Texas, and southern Chihuahua indicate past presence within the currently occupied geographic range, as well as occurrences at lower-elevation sites. Suggestions that post-Pleistocene colonization may account for occurrence of northern isolated populations cannot be falsified because extirpation followed by recolonization cannot be ruled out; however, current data indicate that such a scenario is unnecessary.

ADDITIONS TO THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FAUNA OF THE FORMER CHINATOWN SECTION OF EL PASO, TEXAS

Abstract Additions to the archaeological fauna recovered from the former Chinatown section in El Paso, Texas (late 1800s), include lizard, ringtail, dog, killdeer, domestic goose, badger, domestic cat, jackrabbit, and cottontail. The latter 5 species likely were used for food. Two species of turtles used as food also are discussed.