Bassaricyon neblina osborni, Helgen, Kristofer M., Pinto, C. Miguel, Kays, Roland, Helgen, Lauren E., Tsuchiya, Mirian T. N., Quinn, Aleta, Wilson, Don E. & Maldonado, Jesus E., 2013

Helgen, Kristofer M., Pinto, C. Miguel, Kays, Roland, Helgen, Lauren E., Tsuchiya, Mirian T. N., Quinn, Aleta, Wilson, Don E. & Maldonado, Jesus E., 2013, Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito, ZooKeys 324, pp. 1-83 : 19-21

Bassaricyon neblina osborni subsp. n.

Diagnosis.

This is the largest subspecies of Bassaricyon neblina , with a short rostrum, widely splayed zygomata, wide rostrum and braincase, and very large molars and posterior premolars; the dorsal pelage is of moderate length, tan to orangish-brown in overall color, with prominent black and gold tipping, with a more grayish face and limbs, with the limbs bearing relatively short fur, and a tail usually grizzled with golden-brown fur tipping.

Distribution.

This is the representative of Bassaricyon neblina on the eastern slopes of the Western Andes of Colombia (e.g., Castilla Mountains [AMNH]; Sabanetas [FMNH]; El Tambo [NMS]; the vicinity of Cali [ Poglayen-Neuwall 1976]; El Duende [ Saavedra-Rodríguez and Velandia-Perilla 2011]; Gallera: "western slope of most eastern ridge of southern Western Andes" [AMNH, Paynter 1997:222]) and the western slopes of the Central Andes of Colombia (Cerro Munchique [FMNH]). One specimen (AMNH 42351, from Santa Elena, Antioquia Department) derives from the eastern slopes of the Central Andes in northern Colombia (habitat described as "deforested, grassy, and bushy ( Chapman 1917:61)"; Paynter 1997:403); this shows that this subspecies also crosses to the eastern slopes of the Central Andes in Antioquia. Further south, in the department of Huila, the smaller subspecies Bassaricyon neblina hershkovitzi subsp. n. (see below) occurs on the eastern slopes of the Central Andes.

Records to date of Bassaricyon neblina osborni are from 1500 to at least 2750 m elevation in Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Antioquia Departments of Colombia (Figure 16). Bassaricyon medius medius is also recorded from the Cauca Valley (east slopes of Western Andes and western slopes of Central Andes) at elevations up to at least 725 m (UV-3774: Saavedra-Rodríguez and Velandia-Perilla 2011; see account of Bassaricyon medius below), so these two taxa ( Bassaricyon medius medius and Bassaricyon neblina osborni ) are presumably regionally sympatric (and probably elevationally stratified) across the range of this Olinguito subspecies on the slopes of the Western and Central Andes.

Etymology.

The name honors Henry Fairfield Osborn (1857-1935), paleontologist, faculty of Princeton and Columbia Universities, and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology (1891-1909) and President (1909-1933) of the American Museum of Natural History ( Gregory 1937, Colbert 1996). " Bassaricyon osborni " is a manuscript name (never formally published) associated with a specimen of this taxon (AMNH 32609, with “Type” written on the skull), demonstrating a century-old intention, later discarded (probably by J.A. Allen or H.E. Anthony, see below), to name this taxon after Osborn. Here we validate this unpublished name as a newly described subspecies of Bassaricyon neblina , but we choose a more complete specimen than AMNH 32609, which has a damaged mandible and various broken teeth, as holotype.

Holotype.

FMNH 88476, adult male, skin and skull, Munchique, 2000 m, Cauca Department, Colombia (collected by K. von Sneidern, 3 June 1957).

Paratypes.

AMNH 32608, adult female, skin and skull, and AMNH 32609, adult male, skin and skull, Gallera ( Chapman 1912:155; = "La Gallera" of Paynter 1997:222), 5000 feet (=1524 m), Cauca Department, Colombia (both collected by L. Miller, 13 July 1911); NMS A59-5083, adult female, skin and skull, El Tambo, 1700 m, Cauca Department, Colombia (collected by K. von Sneidern); FMNH 85818, adult male, skin and skull, Munchique, 2000 m, Cauca Department, Colombia (collected by K. von Sneidern, 19 January 1956); FMNH 89220, adult female, skin and skull, Sabanetas, 2000 m, Cauca Department, Colombia (collected by K. von Sneidern, 26 September 1957); FMNH 90052, adult female, skin and skull, Sabanetas, 1900 m, Cauca Department, Colombia (collected by K. von Sneidern, 12 February 1959).

Referred specimens.

AMNH 14185, skin (skull not found), adult male, Castilla Mountains ("La Castilla" of Paynter 1997), Valle del Cauca Department (collected by J.H. Batty, 9 June 1898); AMNH 42351, adult male, skin and skull, Santa Elena, apparently at 9000 feet (= 2750 m), Antioquia Department, Colombia (collected by H. Niceforo Maria, 10 January 1919) ( Paynter 1997:403); USNM 598996, adult male, skin, skull, and postcranial skeleton, from Colombia, specific locality unknown (received from Tulane University).