. Annals of the South African Museum = Annale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum. Natural history. 220 ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM (Table 44; Fig. 53). The referred specimen from the Transvaal has a P4:MX length ratio which is a little beyond that of the C. adustus range of the available comparative series, but it is at the upper limit of the range for this species recorded by Ewer (1956&). It is this ratio which most clearly distinguishes 15605 from that material which was earlier referred to C. mesomelas. Discussion On the basis of the material presently available, there are no ground
. Annals of the South African Museum = Annale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum. Natural history. 220 ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM (Table 44; Fig. 53). The referred specimen from the Transvaal has a P4:MX length ratio which is a little beyond that of the C. adustus range of the available comparative series, but it is at the upper limit of the range for this species recorded by Ewer (1956&). It is this ratio which most clearly distinguishes 15605 from that material which was earlier referred to C. mesomelas. Discussion On the basis of the material presently available, there are no grounds for believing that 15605 and C. terblanchei are not conspecific. There are, however, grounds for doubting whether C. terblanchei warrants recognition as a species distinct from C. adustus. It may well be a primitive form of C. adustus, just as C. mesomelas pappos is a primitive form of the extant black-backed jackal. The most striking characteristics of C. terblanchei are the prominent sub- angular lobe of the mandible and well-developed paramastoid process. Ewer (19566) recognized these to be related features since the occipito-mandibularis muscle is inserted at the subangular lobe and originates at the paramastoid process, so the development of these osteological features is related to the development of this 9 I 0 1 lllllllll 1 1 2 1 3 llll 1 4 1 5 1 Fig. 52. Occlusal view of the Canis terblanchei maxilla (15605) from Elandsfontein. A prominent subangular lobe is a feature of extant canids such as the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), the bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) and the raccoon dog {Nyctereutes procyonoides), that is, species which are somewhat atypical of the Canidae in dietary and other respects. On the other hand, it is also well developed in less remarkable species such as the New World grey fox (Urocyon cineroargenteus). In addition, it is a feature of the Cornelian and Florisian C. mesomelas and Vulpes chama from the south-western Cape. In none of
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