Neotoma magister

DIAGNOSIS. External morphology of N. magister (Fig. 1) is similar to that of N. floridana, the only parapatric Neotoma. Although N. magister generally is larger in mass and with longer vibrissae, identification based on single measurements is unreliable because of morphometric overlap (Ray 2000). Multivariate comparisons of cranial characters (Fig. 2) separate N. magister and N. floridana primarily on size (Hayes and Richmond 1993; Ray 2000). North–south clinal variation does not account for the differences (Hayes and Richmond 1993). The most reliable character for identifying N. magister is the presence of a maxillovomerine notch (present in all 418 N. magister skulls but in only 0.2% of 457 N. floridana skulls—Hayes and Richmond 1993). Additionally, only 1.7% of N. magister skulls exhibited bifurcation of the anterior palatal spine, whereas 70.9% of N. floridana skulls exhibited some degree of bifurcation.