MJUtflS T E M i l |r-CELlI
^[aiamalia,_ SLafce 7) ?
MANIS TEMMINCKII.—S muts.*
M amma lia .— P la t e Y I I .
M. supra pallide flavo-brunneus; infra rubro-brunneus; dorsi squamis versus apices striga subflava
notatis; caudd latd, supra, versus basin squamarium seriebus quinque, versus apicem quatuor, caudse
apice obtuso ;—-oculis brunneis.
L ongitudo 2 ped. 5 unc.
C o lo u r .—Scales pale yellowish brown, the colour lightest towards their
points, many of which are marked with a longitudinal yellow streak;
parts not covered with scales dusky brownish yellow. Eyes reddish
brown ; muzzle black. Nails of the fore feet a pale, dull yellow; those of
the hinder ones brownish yellow.
F orm , &c.— Thick in proportion to its length. Head, anteriorly, somewhat
cylindrical; posteriorly, subquadrangular, the sides and under surface
being rather flat, the upper surface slightly convex. Eyes small, situated far
back on the head, and a little below the lower edge of the scales. Ears
rudimentary ; the meatus auditorius large, and somewhat ovate. Neck very
short. Body and tail robust, and nearly semi-cylindrical; extremities,
particularly the anterior ones, slender and short; claws five; the three
middle ones of the fore-feet are thick at their bases, slender towards the
points, strongly curved, and beneath longitudinally channelled ; the outermost
claw is thick and short, the innermost rather longer than the last, slender and
slightly curved; the claws of the hinder feet are short, flat, strong, and in
close contact with the soft parts, beyond which their points do not project.
The scales covering the upper surface of the head are oval and distinctly
imbricated; those composing the marginal row, on each side of the tail, are
long, divergent, and form a considerable angle with the axis of the animal, in
consequence of which arrangement the sides of the tail appear strongly
serrated. All the scales are finely marked towards their bases by delicate
longitudinal furrows and intervening ridges ; but towards the points they are
level and smooth On the thickest part of the body the scales are commonly
in fourteen rows ; on the upper surface of the tail they are, including
the marginal rows, five towards the base, and four towards and at the
point. The scales covering the under surface of the tail, particularly towards
its extremity, are large, and disposed in two rows; towards the base there
* Dissertatio Zoologica enumerationem mammalium Capensium continens auctore Johanne Smuts,
Leidse, 1832r