SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOLUME 69. NUMBER 5 MAMMALS OF PANAMA (With Thirty-nine Plates) BY EDWARD A. GOLDMAN Assistant Biologist, Bureau of Biological Survey, U, S. Department of Agriculture .. (Publication 2498) CITY OF WASHINGTON PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 1920 XL%t £orfc Qgafhmorc (pr<ee BALTIMORE, MD., U. S. A. 4 4 4 IS 18 19 ->3 25 26 3i 34 36 38 41 42 44 235 267 'AGE iece — MAMMALS OF PANAMA By EDWARD A. GOLDMAN Assistant Biologist, Bureau of Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture (With 39 Plates) CONTENTS PAGE Introduction 4 Field investigations 4 Work conducted by author 4 Work conducted by others 15 Acknowledgments 18 Physiography 19 Faunal relations 23 Life Zones 25 Lower Tropical Zone 26 Humid Lower Tropical Zone 31 Arid Lower Tropical Zone 34 Savanna area and semi-forested savanna borders 36 Upper Tropical Zone 38 Temperate Zone 41 List of the mammals 42 General account of the mammals 44 Bibliography 23$ Index 267 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES PLATE PAGE i. Map of Panama showing life zones Frontispiece 2. Fig. 1.—Camp on Cerro Azul. Fig. 2. —Field party resting on slope of Cerro Azul 4 3. Fig. 1.—Rio Indio, a small tidal tributary of the Rio Chagres near Gatun, Canal Zone. Fig. 2.—Tidal forest along lower course of Rio Chagres 5 4. Fig. 1.—Forest along lower course of Rio Chagres, Canal Zone. Fig. 2.—Forest, extensively invaded by tide, along lower course of Rio Tuyra 6 5. Fig. 1. —Tidal forest, largely mangroves, near Porto Bello. Fig. 2. Tidal forest interior near Porto Bello 7 6. Fig. 1.—Old line of Panama Railroad, abandoned and nearly sub- merged by rising waters of Gatun Lake. Fig. 2.—Gatun Lake with water rising 8 Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 69, No. 5 1 V1ITHS0NIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS BALTIMORE PH0 — 2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 69 PLATE PAGE 7. Fig. I.—Destruction of forest by rising waters of G3tun Lake. Fig. 2.—Destruction of forest by rising waters of Gatun Lake 9 8. Fig. 1.—Rio Tuyra at Boca de Cupe. Fig. 2.—Rio Cascajal near Porto Bello 10 1. 2. 9. Fig. —Cuipo tree (Cavanillesia platanifolia) . Fig. —Base of Cuipo tree showing characteristic buttresses 11 10. Fig. I.—Cana, eastern Panama, showing adjacent forested slopes. Fig. 2.—Cana, eastern Panama. Looking east across Cana Valley. 14 11. Fig. 1.—Humid Lower Tropical Zone near Cana. Fig. 2.—Humid Lower Tropical Zone forest interior at 300 feet altitude on northern basal slope of Mount Pirre 15 12. Fig. 1.—Arid Lower Tropical Zone near southern base of Cerro Azul. Fig. 2.—Humid Lower Tropical Zone near summit of Cerro Azul. 26 13. Fig. 1.—Humid Lower Tropical Zone. An aquatic environment in the lower Chagres Valley near Bohio. Fig. 2.—Humid Lower Tropical Zone. Typical section of forest interior near Gatun 27 14. Fig. I.—Ivory nut palm (Phytelephas) , showing method of gathering nuts. Fig. 2.—Ivory nut gatherer's hut showing product of his industry heaped in foreground 30 15. Fig. 1.—Ferns of Humid Lower Tropical Zone near Cana. Polypodium aureum in center. Fig. 2.—Ferns of Humid Lower Tropical Zone, near Cana. Largely Dicranopteris bifida 31 16. Fig. 1.—Savanna near southern base of Cerro Azul. Fig. 2.—Savanna near Corozal 36 17. Fig. 1.—Upper Tropical Zone at 3,500 feet altitude on Mount Pirre. Fig. 2.—Upper Tropical Zone near summit of Mount Pirre 37 18. Fig. 1.—Chiriqui White-tailed deer (Odocoileus chiriquensis). Fig. 2.—Allen's Opossum (Metachirus opossum fuscogriseus) 44 19. Darien Pocket Gopher (Macrogeomys dariensis) 45 20. Fig. 1.—Skull of Metachirus nudicaudatus dentaneus. Fig. 2.—Skull of Chironectes panamensis 246 21. Fig. 1.—Skull of Peramys melanops. Fig. 2.—Skull of Marmosa invicta. Fig. 3.—Skull of Marmosa mexicana isthmica 247 22. Fig. 1.—Skull of Bradypus ignavus 248 23. Fig. 1.—Skull of Rheomys raptor. Fig. 2.—Skull of Neacomys pictus. Fig. 3.—Skull of Zygodontomys cherriei ventriosus. Fig. 4.—Skull of Rhipidomys scandens. Fig. 5.—Skull of Peromyscus pirrensis. Fig. 6.—Skull of Nectomys alfari efficax 249 24. Fig. 1.—Skull of Orysomys (Orysomys) alfaroi dariensis. Fig. 2. Skull of Orysomys (Orysomys) gatunensis. Fig. 3.— Skull of Orysomys (Orysomys) bombycinus bombycinus. Fig. 4.—Skull of Orysomys (Melanomys) caliginosus idoneus. Fig. 5.—Skull of Orysomys (Orysomys) pirrensis. Fig. 6.—Skull of Orysomys (Orysomys) tectus frontalis 250 25. Fig. 1.—Skull of Heteromys desmarestianus panatnensis. Fig. 2. Skull of Heteromys desmarestianus crassirostris. Fig. 3.—Skull of Heteromys desmarestianus sonalis. Fig. 4.—Skull of Heteromys australis conscius. Fig. 5.—Skull of Macrogeomys dariensis 251 . no. 5 MAMMALS OF PANAMA—GOLDMAN PLATE PAGE 26. Fig. i.—Skull of Diplomys darlingi. Fig. 2.—Skull of Hoplomys gymnurus goethalsi 252 27. Fig. 1.—Skull of Dasyprocta punctata dariensis. Fig. 2.—Skull of Sylvilagus gabbi messorius 253 28. Fig. 1.—Skull of Hydrochoerus isthmius 254 29. Fig. 1.—Skull of Sciurus gerrardi choco. Fig. 2.—Skull of Sciurus variegatoides hclvcolus 255 30. Fig. 1.—Skull of Microsciurus isthmius vivatus. Fig. 2.— Skull of Microsciurus alfari venustulus 256 31. Fig. I.—Skull of Icticyon panamensis 257 32. Fig. 1.—Skull of Procyon lotor pumilus 258 33. Fig. 1.—Skull of Procyon {Euprocyon) cancrivorus panamensis 259 Fig. 1.—Skull of Bassaricyon gabbii orinomus. Fig. 2.—Skull of Potos flavus isthmicus 260 Fig. 1.—Skull of Lutra repanda 261 Fig. I.—Skull of Felis pirrcnsis 262 37. Fig. 1.—Skull of Cryptotis merits. Fig. 2.— Skull of Chirodcrma isthmicum. Fig. 3.—Skull of Vampyressa minuta. Fig. 4.—Skull of Lonchophylla robusta. Fig. 5.—Skull of Lonchophylla cancava. 263 1. 2. 38. Fig. —Skull of Aotus zonalis. Fig. —Skull of Ateles dariensis. 264 39. Fig. 1.—Skull of Alouatta palliata inconsonans 265 TEXT FIGURES FIG. PAGED _ r i. Head of Rhynchiscus naso priscus 173 2. Head of Saccopteryx bilineata bilineata 174 3. Head of Dirias albiventer minor 178 4. Head of Chilonycteris rubiginosa rubiginosa 179 5. Head of Micronyctcris microtis 181 6. Head of Lonchorina aurita \... 182 7. Head of Macrophyllum macrophyllum 184 8. Head of Phyllostomus hastatus panamensis 185 9. Head of Trachops cirrhosus 187 10. Head of Vampyrus spectrum nelsoni 188 11. Head of Glossophaga soricina leachii 190 12. Head of Lonchophylla robusta 192 13. Head of Hemiderma perspicillatum aztecum 194 14. Head of Stumira lilium parvidens 198 15. Head of Uroderma bilobatum 199 16. Head of Artibeus jamaicensis jamaicensis 205 17. Head of Desmodus rotundus murinus 208 18. Head of Natalus mexicamis 211 19. Head of Myotis nigricans 213 20. Head of Eptesicus fuscus miradorensis 215 21. Head of Nycteris borealis mexicana 216 22. Head of Rhogeessa tumida 218 23. Head of Eumops glaucinus 220 24 Head of Molossus coibensis 221 4 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 69 INTRODUCTION The following- report contains an account of all the mammals known to occur in Panama. It is based mainly on the material gathered in the course of the biological survey of the Panama Canal Zone, undertaken in 1910 by the Smithsonian Institution with the approval of the President of the United States and in cooperation with various government departments including the Department of Agriculture and the War Department. The initiation of the survey at this time was due to a realization on the part of naturalists of the importance of making field investigations before the completion of the Panama Canal, when disturbed natural conditions would be likely to complicate problems of geographic distribution in this important region. While the author was assigned to investigate the mammals and birds, and somewhat incidentally the reptiles and amphibians, the personnel of the survey also included field naturalists represent- ing various other branches of natural history. In the preparation of the present report specimens of mammals in various museums have been examined and published records referred to in order to bring together as complete data on the subject as practicable. The region is of surpassing biological interest, owing to peculiar configuration, varied topography, and geographic position, forming as it does a slender artery blending the complex elements or converg- ing life currents of two continents, and through which countless migrations of non-volant terrestrial animals probably passed during the Tertiary or early Quaternary ages. But of recent migratory movements in the region we have no evidence, and how effective a barrier the completed Panama Canal may prove to be in limiting the distribution of species remains to be determined. The country, said to have been named " Panama " from an Indian word meaning rich in fish, might with equal propriety have received an appellation meaning rich in mammals, or birds. FIELD INVESTIGATIONS WORK CONDUCTED BY AUTHOR In December, 1910, I was detailed by the Chief of the Biological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture, to field work in Panama and arrived' in the Canal Zone for that purpose on the 28th day of the month. Proceeding at once to Culebra, the adminis- trative headquarters for the construction of the Panama Canal, I met Colonel (now Major-General ) George W. Goethals, the Chairman and Chief Engineer, who expressed the desire of the Isthmian Canal VOL. NO. 6. PL. 2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 68, affords shelter from the Fig. i.—Camp on Cerro Azul. A palm-thatched roof hardest rain. Fig. 2.— Field party resting on slope of Cerro Azul. The most practical route is up the bed of a stream. SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 69, NO. 5, PL. Fig. i.—Rio Indio, a small tidal tributary of the Rio Chagres near Gatun, Canal Zone. A favorable collecting ground for mammals and birds. 2.—Tidal forest along lower course of Rio Chagres, showing trees with characteristic buttressed bases and aerial roots.