Forbes Funds

A new genus and species of single-tooth-rowed captorhinid, Rhiodenticulatus heatoni, is based on two skulls and partial postcranial skeletons collected from the Lower Permian Cutler Formation near Arroyo de Agua, north-central New Mexico. A cladistic analysis of its relationships to other single-tooth-rowed captorhinids suggests that it is a primitive sister taxon to Labidosaurus and Eocaptorhinus. The dentition of R. heatoni, however, exhibits several unique derived features which are interpreted as representing an adaptation to a specialized diet.

Standard karyotypic data are presented for the species of the southern African rodent genus Gerbillurus. Gerbillurus paeba and G. tytonis have a diploid number of 36 and 68 autosomal arms. The karyotypes are morphologically similar to each other. G. vallinus and G. setzeri have a diploid number equaling 60, but the karyotypes differ in chromosome morphology. The autosomal arm number is 80 for the former and 76 for the latter species. Speculations on phylogenetic relationships are presented.

The currently recognized species Liophis zweifeli is reduced to a subspecies of L. reginae and L. oligolepis is shown to be a junior synonym of L. reginae semilineata. Geographic variation in L. reginae is discussed in relation to major physiographic zones and the relationship of L. reginae to L. epinephelus is briefly discussed. Liophis williamsi is redefined, but its relationship to L. reginae is unclear. Liophis andinus, sp. nov., is described from the Cochabamba area, Bolivia.

genus Eleutherodactylus are described from northwestern Haiti.

To broaden the basis for the transfer of Pleea tenuifolia Michx. to the genus Tofieldia several additional lines of biosystematic evidence are here presented. The first chromosome count for T. tenuifolia (Michx.) Utech, that is = 30, is reported here, as well as a karyotype analysis of the somatic complement. This number as well as the general genome morphology agrees remarkably well with the reported counts of 2 = 30 for the genus Tofieldia. {Narthecium is characterized by a somatic number of 26.) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and photographs of the rare 2-sulculate condition in T. tenuifolia and in other members of Tofieldia are presented. The size and tectum of the pollen in T. tenuifolia and in Tofieldia are also similar. {Narthecium has 1-sulcate pollen grains.) The external seed morphology of T. tenuifolia is examined and is similar to that of other members of Tofieldia. The distal, caudate appendages in T. tenuifolia agree well in both size and shape with the appendages in the Triantha subgroup of the genus. (There are no appendages in the seeds of Narthecium.)

Five species of southern African Elephantulus Thomas and Schwann, 1906, were analyzed for individual and secondary sexual variation. Twenty-one external and cranial measurements