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Show 246 DR. J. E. GRAY ON MULETIA SEPTEMCINCTA. [Apr. 21, Mr. Martin, in the Society's 'Proceedings' for 1837, p. 13, on account of the unsatisfactory account of Dasypus hybridus (the Tatou mulei) given in scientific works, gave a more complete description of this species than he had previously met with, from a specimen presented to the Society by Mr. C. Darwin; and Darwin gives a good account of the habits of the animal in the ' Voyage of the Beagle,' i. p. 92. I am inclined to form a genus for Dasypus septemcinctus, which may be called Muletia, and characterized by the short tail, depressed at its base, the small number of caudal vertebrae and caudal rings, and the small ears. I would divide the Tatusiida thus:- I. Tail with smooth caudal rings. Hinder part of palat. convex, with a groove on each side, which is wider behind. 1. T A T U S I A . Tail cylindrical, elongate, as long as or longer than the body, of many rings and numerous caudal vertebrae. Ears large. Dorsal disk with 9-7 free bands. Tatusia peba &c. 2. M U L E T I A . Tail short, depressed at base, not so long as the body, with thirteen rings and thirteen caudal vertebrae. Ears small. Dorsal disk with six free bands. Muletia septemcincta &c. II. Tail with the hinder edge of the tessera of the basal caudal rings prominent. Hinder part of the palate broad, concave, with a raised edge on each side. 3. P R A O P U S . Tail about the length of the body, rather thick at the base. Praopus kappleri. In the 'Hand-list of Edentate, Thick-skinned, and Ruminant Mammals in the British Museum,' I described seven species of Tatusia and one of Praopus, and figured the skull of each of the kinds; but at that time the collection did not contain any specimen of the Short-tailed Armadillo (Tatusia septemcincta) from Paraguay. The number of teeth seems to vary in this genus; the skulls in the Museum of T. peba (Hand-list, t. i. f. 1), T. leptorhinus (t. i. f. 3), T. mexicana (t. ii. f. 3), and T. boliviensis (t. iii. f. 4) have seven teeth on each side of the upper jaw. T. granadiana (t. ii. f. 1), T. brevirostris (t. iii. f. 2), and T. leptocephala (t. v. f. 3) have eight teeth on each side of the upper jaw, as is also the case with Praopus kappleri (t. iv. f. 2 & 3). EXPLANATION OF PLATE XLI. Fig. 1. Vertebral column and pelviB of Muletia septemcincta. 2. Upper surface of skull. 3. Under surface of skull. 4. Side view of skull. |