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Leidy, by J. L. Wortman

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Title: On The Affinities of Leptarctus primus of Leidy
American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VI, Article VIII, pp. 229-331.

Author: J. L. Wortman

Release Date: September 5, 2008 [EBook #26542]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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_On the Affinities of Leptarctus primus of Leidy._

By J. L. WORTMAN.

_AUTHOR'S EDITION, extracted from_

BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY,

VOL. VI, ARTICLE VIII, pp. 229-231.

_New York, July 30, 1894._

Article VIII.--ON THE AFFINITIES OF LEPTARCTUS PRIMUS OF LEIDY.

By J. L. Wortman.

Up to the present time but very little has been known of the existence
of the peculiarly American family Procyonidae in any deposits older
than the very latest Quaternary. Leidy has described and figured[1] an
isolated last upper tooth, from the Loup Fork deposits of Nebraska,
under the name of _Leptarctus primus_, which has been referred to this
family. The Museum Expedition of last year into this region was
successful in obtaining additional material, which we provisionally
refer to Leidy's species.

=Leptarctus primus= _Leidy_.

The specimen consists of the right ramus of the lower jaw, carrying
the third and fourth premolars and the canine. The condyle is broken
away, but the coronoid process and the angle are preserved. The
specimen is from a young individual in which the last premolar had
just cut the gum. The alveoli of all the other teeth are present and
in a good state of preservation.

The dental formula is as follows: I._3, C._1, Pm._3, M._2. The
incisors are not preserved, but their alveoli indicate that they were
much crowded, the outside one being placed almost directly in front of
the canine, and the middle one pushed back considerably out of
position. This series is in marked contrast with that of the Raccoon,
in which the crowns of the incisors form almost a stra