Jo. 5, pp. 45-50 23 April 1975 PROCEEDINGS OF THE /"^ BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON ^ c _ -X) OBSERVATIONS ON LEPUS CALLOTIS IN "^ ^^ NEW MEXICO ;;5 o By Michael A. Bogan and Clyde Jones \ National Fish and Wildlife Laboratory, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 20560 The occurrence of Lepus callotis gaillardi Mearns in the United States has been unclear since the original description (Mearns 1896:560). During the resurvey of the Mexican-United States boundary in 1892 and 1893, E. A. Mearns and F. X. Holzner obtained six of these unique jack rabbits. The skin labels on three specimens taken 16 and 29 June 1892, state the animals were taken on the "Mexican Boundary Line, near White Water, Chihuahua." Two others, including the type of L. gaillardi, taken on 17 June 1892, read "near White Water, Chihuahua, on the Mex. Bound. Line." The skull tags of these five specimens read variously: "Plyas (sic) Valley, near White Water, Chihuahua, Mex.; West fork of Plyas (sic) Valley, near White Water, Chihuahua, Mexico; Mex. Bound. Line; Plyas (sic) Valley near White Water, Chihuahua." The holotype (USNM 20525/35714, skin and skull) also possesses red type labels, presumably added at the time of description, stating: "Playas Valley, near Mon. No. 63, Mex. Bound. Line." The original description (Mearns 1896:562) gives the type-locality as: "west fork of the Playas Valley near monument No. 63, Mexican boundary line." The remaining specimen, taken 15 September 1893, came from "Plyas (sic) Valley, Mex. Bd. Line" according to the skin tag, or "East Fork of Plyas ( sic) Valley" according to the skull label. The skin tag of this specimen also bears the notation "Topotype." All six of the above specimens were taken while the Bound-ary Commission was encamped at White Water, 1 mi S Monument No, 61. During the first visit there (13-29 June 5— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 88, 1975 (45)
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