Horváth Géza (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 23. (Budapest 1926)

Ognev, S. I.: A systematic review of the mammals of Russia

Verifying this peculiarity, I was convinced of its importance for defining age, but that was all. The crista sagittalis of old individuals V. v. Alpherakyi reaches to the bregma, but its development in general is somewhat weaker than that of other sub-species. As to the teeth, this author remarks, that „the inner lobe of the upper carnivorous tooth does not project forward as strongly, as with the northern foxes and its front inner angle is on one level with the outer front angle of the tooth. On the front part of the principal crown of the tooth, to the outside from the inner crown on the supplementary lobe, nearly beside it, there is a sharp, small supplementary crown, of which the northern foxes have no trace". Having examined these peculiarities, I concluded of their complete fictitiousness. Inner lobes of upper carnivorous teeth of the V. v. Alpherakyi, belongig to my personal collection, project visibly forwards, which contradicts SATUNIN'S diagnosis ; on the other hand I have discovered an amount of specimens in the collection of central Russian foxes with expressed contrary peculiarities, that is suiting well the diagnosis of SATUNIN for V. v. Alpherakyi. It is clear, that the author has noted a non systematical peculiarity.* The same must be said of the supplementary angle on the lobe of the carnivorous tooth: it is purely a sign of age, wholly proper also to our central Russian foxes ; it is a peculiarity, which they possess in their youth, and which disappears with age. In his former works, K. A. SATUNIN classed the fox of the eastern steppes of the Transcaucasus with the Vulpes leucopus BLYTH; having described his V. Alpherakyi, he, however, underlines its close relationship to the V. leucopus, referring to the authority of Prof. NOAK, with whom SATUNIN had formerly settled the question. Having become acquainted with the material on the V. v. leucopus BLYTH in the Zool. Mus. of the Acad, of Sciences, I quite share the. opinion of A. A. BJALINICKI-BIRULA,** that V. v. Alpherakyi SATUNIN has nothing common with V. v. leucopus BLYTH. The sharp cranio* It is important to note, that the inner lobe of the carnivorous tooth of all young foxes (V. vulpes with sub-species) is directed obliquely backwards and does not by far reach the outer anterior angle of the tooth. With age the above described lobe begins to bend forward and with differing degree of expression projects beyond the outer anterior angle of the tooth from the inner side of the row of teeth. Thus, we have here a good symptom for differentiation of age, according to the structure of a foxes teeth. The degree of projection of the described lobe of full grown foxes varies independently of any geographical forms. ** Ann. of the Zoolog. Museum of the Imp. Acad, of Sciences, XVII, 1912, p. 267.