DOCSLIB.ORG

Cranial Variation in the Siberian Weasel Mustela Sibirica (Carnivora, Mustelidae) and Its Possible Taxonomic Implications Alexei V

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Cranial Variation in the Siberian Weasel Mustela Sibirica (Carnivora, Mustelidae) and Its Possible Taxonomic Implications Alexei V Zoological Studies 57: 14 (2018) doi:10.6620/ZS.2018.57-14 Open Access Cranial Variation in the Siberian Weasel Mustela sibirica (Carnivora, Mustelidae) and its Possible Taxonomic Implications Alexei V. Abramov1,*, Andrey Yu. Puzachenko2, and Ryuichi Masuda3 1Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia 2Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetnyy per., Moscow 109017, Russia. E-mail: [email protected] 3Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan. E-mail: [email protected] (Received 3 January 2018; Accepted 10 March 2018; Published 26 March 2018; Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan) Citation: Abramov AV, Puzachenko AY, Masuda R. 2018. Cranial variation in the Siberian weasel Mustela sibirica (Carnivora, Mustelidae) and its possible taxonomic implications. Zool Stud 57:14. doi:10.6620/ZS.2018.57-14. Alexei V. Abramov, Andrey Yu. Puzachenko, and Ryuichi Masuda (2018) Morphometric variation in 23 cranial characters of 555 Siberian weasels (Mustela sibirica) was studied across its whole distribution range. Most of the distribution range in Siberia and China is occupied by medium-sized weasels, whereas the eastern part of the species range - including the Russian Far East, Korea and eastern China - is occupied by the larger form. Specimens from the Pacific islands (Jeju and Tsushima) were morphologically closely related to the western form of M. sibirica than to the neighboring continental weasels. The western form can be treated as nominotypical subspecies M. s. sibirica Pallas, 1773, whereas the eastern form can be treated as M. s. manchurica Brass, 1911. Small-sized weasels from the eastern Himalayan area (Myanmar and southwestern China) form a distinct group within M. sibirica, and they were treated as a subspecies; M. s. moupinensis (Milne- Edwards, 1874). Specimens from the western Himalayas (Kashmir, Nepal and Sikkim) are morphologically distinct from all other populations of Mustela sibirica and can be treated as a separate species Mustela subhemachalana Hodgson, 1837. Key words: Skull variation, Mustela sibirica, Subspecies, Taxonomy. BACKGROUND Mongolia and northwest China) (Heptner et al. 1967; Abramov et al. 2016). It occurs in few Pacific The Siberian weasel Mustela sibirica islands (Jeju, Tsushima and Taiwan) and it has Pallas, 1773 has one of the largest distribution been introduced to the Japanese islands Honshu, ranges in the Palearctic among small mustelid Shikoku and Kyushu (Sasaki 2008). The southern species, with the exception of the stoat Mustela and southwestern limits of its distribution range are erminea Linnaeus, 1758 and least weasel M. poorly known: the records from Laos, Vietnam and nivalis Linnaeus, 1766. Mustela sibirica is widely Thailand are incomplete and unconvincing (see distributed across the East Palearctic, from Eastern Abramov et al. 2016). Europe (Kirov Oblast and Tatarstan in Russia) Geographic variation and intraspecific eastward to the Pacific coast and southward to taxonomy of the Siberian weasel have been the Himalayas (from northern Kashmir eastward to poorly investigated. Intraspecific variation in northern Myanmar); however, the weasel does not morphological characters, such as coat color and occupy a large part of arid Central Asia (southern body size, has led to the description of many taxa *Correspondence: E-mail: [email protected] © 2018 Academia Sinica, Taiwan 1 Zoological Studies 57: 14 (2018) page 2 of 10 of the species or subspecies rank (see Appendix length (PL), maxillary tooth-row length (MxtL), 1). Across a wide species range there are more upper carnassial teeth Pm4 length (Pm4L), greatest than 20 scientific names attributed to M. sibirica, length between oral border of the auditory bulla and 11 of them have recently been recognized as and aboral border of the occipital condyles (BcL), subspecies (Wozencraft 2005). Most subspecific length of the auditory bulla (AbL), zygomatic width names are based on pelage characters only, (ZyW), mastiod width of skull (MW), postorbital however these characters (color intensity, width (PoW), interorbital width (IW), width of expression of white and dark spots on the muzzle, rostrum (RW), greatest palatal width (GpW), width etc.) have high individual and seasonal variations of the auditory bulla (AbW), width of upper molar throughout most of Palearctic range of the species M1 (M1W), cranial height (CH), total length of (Stroganov 1962; Heptner et al. 1967). All previous the mandible (ML), length between the angular morphological and genetic studies on M. sibirica process and infradentale (AL), mandibular tooth- were based on a rather narrow set of samples, row length (MatL), length of lower carnassial teeth and no studies have covered the whole distribution M1 (m1L), height of mandible in the vertical ramus range of this species. (MaH) and minimal palatal width (MpW). See The aim of the present paper is to study Abramov and Puzachenko (2009) for the scheme geographical variation across the Siberian of measurements. weasels’ whole distribution range and use any For damaged skulls with incomplete sets patterns it reveals to elucidate possible taxonomic of measurements, we used the expectation- interpretations. We do this using cranial characters, maximisation (EM) algorithm (Dempster et al. which are consistent across seasons. 1977) to estimate the missing values. The missing data were estimated for males and females separately. In all cases, the missing completely MATERIALS AND METHODS at random hypothesis was accepted. EM uses an iterative process to estimate the means, We have examined 555 (including 416 covariance matrix and correlation of measures with intact) adult M. sibirica skulls (450 males and missing values. Grubbs’ two-sided test (Stefansky 105 females) across the species’ distribution 1972) for revealing outliers in new variables was range. The specimens were separated into 33 used. Statistical differences between the measures geographic samples (Appendix 2). Age classes (average, variance and type of distribution) were were defined by scoring morphological features tested by comparing the full data set including of skull structures (the development of crests, the the missing values filled in by the EM method and obliteration of sutures, tooth wear and dentition) the initial data set. No statistical differences were used in mustelids (Buchalczyk and Ruprecht detected between the two data sets. We used 1977). estimated values for multivariate analysis only. The studied specimens are deposited in As a high degree of sexual size dimorphism the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy (SSD) was observed in Siberian weasel skulls of Sciences (Saint Petersburg, Russia), the (Abramov and Puzachenko 2009 2012), we Zoological Museum of Moscow State University investigated the male and female samples (Moscow, Russia), the Institute of Animal separately. Systematics and Ecology of the Siberian Branch Before the multivariate statistical analysis, all of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk, the measures were standardised to exclude the Russia), B.M. Zhitkov Russian Research Institute impact of the ‘scale’ on different measurements of Game Management and Fur Farming (Kirov, according to the following transformation: Russia), the Natural History Museum (London, xi - xmin xi = , where xi is the standardised UK), National Science Museum (Tokyo, Japan), xmax - xmin Swedish Museum of Natural History (Stockholm, variable, xi , xmin, and xmax are observed, minimum, Sweden), Shanghai Natural History Museum and maximum values of the i-th variable, (Shanghai, China) and the Institute of Zoology and respectively. Genofunds of Animals (Almaty, Kazakhstan). The square dissimilarity matrix contained Twenty-three measurements were taken for the Euclidean distances matrix and the similarity each skull using digital calipers to the nearest matrix of Kendall’s tau-b (corrected for ties) 0.1 mm: condylobasal length (CbL), neurocranium measure of association (Kendall 1975); these length (NcL), viscerocranium length (VcL), palatal © 2018 Academia Sinica, Taiwan Zoological Studies 57: 14 (2018) page 3 of 10 were calculated among all pairs of specimens. of the SHM model (K1) in males mostly correlated Two multidimensional morphological spaces with the relative length of the viscerocranial part of (morphospace) were constructed using the the skull. The first dimension E1 in the female SZM Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) model was equal to the E1 in the male model, technique (Davison and Jones 1983; NCSS while the equivalent of the K1 dimension of the 2007 (Hintze 2007)) based on two types of male SHM model was K2 in the female model. morphological distance matrices (see more details The K1 dimension had a negative correlation in on our approaches to multivariate statistical females with the relative dimensions of teeth. analyses in previous publications: Abramov et al. The relative variance components in the 2009; Baryshnikov and Puzachenko 2011 2012; variance of the SZM and SHM coordinates Abramov and Puzachenko 2012 2016). These associated with the geographical “factor” were no morphospaces were constructed to provide a more than 60% and 47% for the dimensions E1 of compact representation of the morphological SZM models, for males and females, and 37-36% distances between skulls. The Euclidean for the dimensions K1 of SHM models. This means metric, as a simple geometric distance
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Wild Mammals of the Annapurna Conservation Area Cggk"0F{ ;+/If0f If]Qsf :Tgwf/L Jgohgt' Wild Mammals of the Annapurna Conservation Area - 2019
    Wild Mammals of the Annapurna Conservation Area cGgk"0f{ ;+/If0f If]qsf :tgwf/L jGohGt' Wild Mammals of the Annapurna Conservation Area - 2019 ISBN 978-9937-8522-8-9978-9937-8522-8-9 9 789937 852289 National Trust for Nature Conservation Annapurna Conservation Area Project Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal Hariyo Kharka, Pokhara, Kaski, Nepal National Trust for Nature Conservation P.O. Box: 3712, Kathmandu, Nepal P.O. Box: 183, Kaski, Nepal Tel: +977-1-5526571, 5526573, Fax: +977-1-5526570 Tel: +977-61-431102, 430802, Fax: +977-61-431203 Annapurna Conservation Area Project Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: www.ntnc.org.np Website: www.ntnc.org.np 2019 Wild Mammals of the Annapurna Conservation Area cGgk"0f{ ;+/If0f If]qsf :tgwf/L jGohGt' National Trust for Nature Conservation Annapurna Conservation Area Project 2019 Wild Mammals of the Annapurna Conservation Area cGgk"0f{ ;+/If0f If]qsf :tgwf/L jGohGt' Published by © NTNC-ACAP, 2019 All rights reserved Any reproduction in full or in part must mention the title and credit NTNC-ACAP. Reviewers Prof. Karan Bahadur Shah (Himalayan Nature), Dr. Naresh Subedi (NTNC, Khumaltar), Dr. Will Duckworth (IUCN) and Yadav Ghimirey (Friends of Nature, Nepal). Compilers Rishi Baral, Ashok Subedi and Shailendra Kumar Yadav Suggested Citation Baral R., Subedi A. & Yadav S.K. (Compilers), 2019. Wild Mammals of the Annapurna Conservation Area. National Trust for Nature Conservation, Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Pokhara, Nepal. First Edition : 700 Copies ISBN : 978-9937-8522-8-9 Front Cover : Yellow-bellied Weasel (Mustela kathiah), back cover: Orange- bellied Himalayan Squirrel (Dremomys lokriah).
    [Show full text]
  • The 2008 IUCN Red Listings of the World's Small Carnivores
    The 2008 IUCN red listings of the world’s small carnivores Jan SCHIPPER¹*, Michael HOFFMANN¹, J. W. DUCKWORTH² and James CONROY³ Abstract The global conservation status of all the world’s mammals was assessed for the 2008 IUCN Red List. Of the 165 species of small carni- vores recognised during the process, two are Extinct (EX), one is Critically Endangered (CR), ten are Endangered (EN), 22 Vulnerable (VU), ten Near Threatened (NT), 15 Data Deficient (DD) and 105 Least Concern. Thus, 22% of the species for which a category was assigned other than DD were assessed as threatened (i.e. CR, EN or VU), as against 25% for mammals as a whole. Among otters, seven (58%) of the 12 species for which a category was assigned were identified as threatened. This reflects their attachment to rivers and other waterbodies, and heavy trade-driven hunting. The IUCN Red List species accounts are living documents to be updated annually, and further information to refine listings is welcome. Keywords: conservation status, Critically Endangered, Data Deficient, Endangered, Extinct, global threat listing, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable Introduction dae (skunks and stink-badgers; 12), Mustelidae (weasels, martens, otters, badgers and allies; 59), Nandiniidae (African Palm-civet The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most authorita- Nandinia binotata; one), Prionodontidae ([Asian] linsangs; two), tive resource currently available on the conservation status of the Procyonidae (raccoons, coatis and allies; 14), and Viverridae (civ- world’s biodiversity. In recent years, the overall number of spe- ets, including oyans [= ‘African linsangs’]; 33). The data reported cies included on the IUCN Red List has grown rapidly, largely as on herein are freely and publicly available via the 2008 IUCN Red a result of ongoing global assessment initiatives that have helped List website (www.iucnredlist.org/mammals).
    [Show full text]
  • Molecular Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Genus Mustela
    Mammal Study 33: 25–33 (2008) © the Mammalogical Society of Japan Molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus Mustela (Mustelidae, Carnivora), inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences: New perspectives on phylogenetic status of the back-striped weasel and American mink Naoko Kurose1, Alexei V. Abramov2 and Ryuichi Masuda3,* 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, Kanagawa 259-1293, Japan 2 Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg 199034, Russia 3 Creative Research Initiative “Sousei”, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan Abstract. To further understand the phylogenetic relationships among the mustelid genus Mustela, we newly determined nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene from 11 Eurasian species of Mustela, including the domestic ferret and the American mink. Phylogenetic relationships inferred from the 12S rRNA sequences were similar to those based on previously reported mitochondrial cytochrome b data. Combined analyses of the two genes demonstrated that species of Mustela were divided into two primary clades, named “the small weasel group” and “the large weasel group”, and others. The Japanese weasel (Mustela itatsi) formerly classified as a subspecies of the Siberian weasel (M. sibirica), was genetically well-differentiated from M. sibirica, and the two species clustered with each other. The European mink (M. lutreola) was closely related to “the ferret group” (M. furo, M. putorius, and M. eversmanii). Both the American mink of North America and the back-striped weasel (M. strigidorsa) of Southeast Asia were more closely related to each other than to other species of Mustela, indicating that M. strigidorsa originated from an independent lineage that differs from other Eurasian weasels.
    [Show full text]
  • Spatio-Temporal Coexistence of Sympatric Mesocarnivores with a Single Apex Carnivore in a fine-Scale Landscape
    Global Ecology and Conservation 21 (2020) e00897 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Global Ecology and Conservation journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/gecco Original Research Article Spatio-temporal coexistence of sympatric mesocarnivores with a single apex carnivore in a fine-scale landscape Guojing Zhao a, b, c, d, e, 1, Haitao Yang a, b, c, d, e, 1, Bing Xie a, b, c, d, e, * Yinan Gong a, b, c, d, e, Jianping Ge a, b, c, d, e, Limin Feng a, b, c, d, e, a Northeast Tiger and Leopard Biodiversity National Observation and Research Station, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China b National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory for Conservation Ecology of Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China c National Forestry and Grassland Administration Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard Monitoring and Research Center, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China d Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Engineering, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China e College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China article info abstract Article history: Mesocarnivores uniquely and profoundly impact ecosystem function, structure, and dy- Received 23 July 2019 namics. Sympatric species tend to spatially and temporally partition limited resources to Received in revised form 22 December 2019 facilitate coexistence. We investigated the seasonal spatial and temporal cooccurrences Accepted 22 December 2019 among six mesocarnivores, the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Asian badger (Meles leucurus), Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica), masked palm Keywords: civet (Paguma larvata) and yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula), as well as a single Camera trap apex predator (Northern Chinese leopard, Panthera pardus japonensis).
    [Show full text]
  • Mountain Weasel Mustela Altaica Records in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir State, India
    SHORT COMMUNICATION Mountain Weasel Mustela altaica records in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir state, India Tomer BEN-YEHUDA1 1. Mammal Watching Around the Abstract. World. 14355 Rainy Lake Dr. Distribution maps for Mountain Weasel Mustela altaica do not include Ladakh in the Chesterfield MO USA 63017 north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, it is common knowledge that this species occurs there and that it is observed on a weekly basis by nature guides and eco- Correspondence: tourists. This is an account of my sightings with exact coordinates and altitudes where Tomer Ben-Yehuda this species has been observed, along with referenced reports of colleagues who have seen the species in the area. Based on this information, the distribution maps for this [email protected] species should be corrected to include the locations specified; this information was used to update the 2016 account of this species in The IUCN Red List of Threatened Associate editor: Species. Daniel Willcox Keywords: Hemis National Park, Mustela altaica, Ladakh, Northern India, Altai Weasel, Mountain Weasel http://www.smallcarnivoreconservation.org ISSN 1019-5041 Mountain Weasel Mustela altaica, also known as the Altai Weasel, is found throughout central Asia and in the Himalayan mountain range. According to the previous distribution map (Abramov 2016) this weasel is very localized in India (Figure 1) and was thought to be restricted to a small area near the tri-point junction with Tibet (China) and Nepal. It was not recognized to occur within 420 km of Hemis National Park or the city of Leh. Lariviere & Jennings (2009) did not include Ladakh in their distribution map for this species.
    [Show full text]
  • Siberian Weasel
    A peer-reviewed open-access journal Subterranean Biology 32: 111–117 (2019) Mustela sibirica predatism on bats 111 doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.32.46617 RESEARCH ARTICLE Subterranean Published by http://subtbiol.pensoft.net The International Society Biology for Subterranean Biology Siberian weasel Mustela sibirica Pallas, 1773 predatism on bats during winter period Alexander Zhigalin1 1 National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia Corresponding author: Alexander Zhigalin ([email protected]) Academic editor: O.T. Moldovan | Received 24 September 2019 | Accepted 25 November 2019 | Published 6 December 2019 http://zoobank.org/97E107F1-D8D9-4D4C-B24F-5FBD24EE6D5C Citation: Zhigalin A (2019) Siberian weasel Mustela sibirica Pallas, 1773 predatism on bats during winter period. Subterranean Biology 32: 111–117. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.32.46617 Abstract This work presents the results of a three-year natural environment experiment in a cave in Barsukovskaya, Siberia), aimed at assessing the possible impact of mammals preying on a wintering group of bats. The average consumed biomass amount per year was about 2108 g and the estimated number of prey animals was 214, which is about 20% of the maximum number of animals observed. The biomass consumed poorly correlates with the number of animals in the cave. The proportion of the various species remaining in the excrement of predators is strongly determined by the number of these species in the accessible part of the cave. The amount of excrement indicates the regular predatism on bats and, therefore, the presence of specific behavioural adaptation in Mustela sibirica. Keywords cave, Siberia, Vespertilionidae, Altai-Sayan Introduction The majority of works devoted to predatism on bats note the random nature of this phenomenon (Ryberg 1947; Dwyer 1964; Gillette and Kimbrough 1970; Taylor 1964; Fenton and Fleming 1976; Sparks et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Fifty Years of Research on European Mink Mustela Lutreola L., 1761 Genetics: Where Are We Now in Studies on One of the Most Endangered Mammals?
    G C A T T A C G G C A T genes Review Fifty Years of Research on European Mink Mustela lutreola L., 1761 Genetics: Where Are We Now in Studies on One of the Most Endangered Mammals? Jakub Skorupski 1,2 1 Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, Adama Mickiewicza 16 St., 70-383 Szczecin, Poland; [email protected]; Tel.: +48-914-441-685 2 Polish Society for Conservation Genetics LUTREOLA, Maciejkowa 21 St., 71-784 Szczecin, Poland Received: 2 October 2020; Accepted: 6 November 2020; Published: 11 November 2020 Abstract: The purpose of this review is to present the current state of knowledge about the genetics of European mink Mustela lutreola L., 1761, which is one of the most endangered mammalian species in the world. This article provides a comprehensive description of the studies undertaken over the last 50 years in terms of cytogenetics, molecular genetics, genomics (including mitogenomics), population genetics of wild populations and captive stocks, phylogenetics, phylogeography, and applied genetics (including identification by genetic methods, molecular ecology, and conservation genetics). An extensive and up-to-date review and critical analysis of the available specialist literature on the topic is provided, with special reference to conservation genetics. Unresolved issues are also described, such as the standard karyotype, systematic position, and whole-genome sequencing, and hotly debated issues are addressed, like the origin of the Southwestern population of the European mink and management approaches of the most distinct populations of the species. Finally, the most urgent directions of future research, based on the research questions arising from completed studies and the implementation of conservation measures to save and restore M.
    [Show full text]
  • Local Gazetteers Reveal Contrasting Patterns of Historical Distribution
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.15.202390; this version posted August 2, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. 1 Local Gazetteers Reveal Contrasting Patterns of Historical Distribution 2 Changes between Apex Predators and Mesopredators in Eastern China 3 Kaijin Hu1, Chunhui Hao2 4 1. School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China 5 2. School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China 6 Correspondence author: Kaijin Hu, Email: [email protected] 7 Abstract: 8 Background: Humans have been causing the sixth wave of mass extinction of 9 biodiversity. The situation of predators, especially of carnivores, is a key indicator of 10 biodiversity, and the mesopredator release is a typical phenomenon in ecosystem 11 recess. Local gazetteers( 地 方 志 ) are a rich resource for historical biodiversity 12 research. But there are obvious biases in previous studies focusing in only presence 13 records and neglecting the absence records. We recollected and analyze the records by 14 fixed methods to research historical change of biodiversity. 15 Methods: Innovatively, this research uses both presence and absence records 16 from local gazetteers to reconstruct the distribution of 8 kinds of mammalian 17 predators (i.e. tiger, leopard, bear, wolf, fox, civet, dhole and mustelid) in eastern 18 China from 1573 A.D. to 1949 A.D. (sorted into 4 periods). Then we analyze the 19 distribution changes, the relation between animals and the influence from human.
    [Show full text]
  • Prey Selection of Amur Tigers in Relation to the Spatiotemporal Overlap with Prey Across the Sino-Russian Border
    Prey selection of Amur tigers in relation to the spatiotemporal overlap with prey across the Sino-Russian border Hailong Dou†, Haitao Yang†, James L.D. Smith, Limin Feng, Tianming Wang, Jianping Ge H. Dou, H. Yang, L. Feng, T. Wang ([email protected]) and J. Ge, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Engineering, Monitoring and Research Center for Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard, State Forestry and Grassland Administration & College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China. –H. Dou, College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China. –J. L. D. Smith, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract The endangered Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is confined primarily to a narrow area along the border with Russia in Northeast China. Little is known about the foraging strategies of this small subpopulation in Hunchun Nature Reserve on the Chinese side of the border; at this location, the prey base and land use patterns are distinctly different from those in the larger population of the Sikhote-Alin Mountains of Russia. Using dietary analysis of scats and camera-trapping data from Hunchun Nature Reserve, we assessed spatiotemporal overlap of tigers and their prey and identified prey selection patterns to enhance understanding of the ecological requirements of tigers in Northeast China. Results indicated that wild prey constituted 94.9% of the total biomass consumed by tigers; domestic livestock represented 5.1% of the diet. Two species, wild boar (Sus scrofa) and sika deer (Cervus nippon), collectively represented 83% of the biomass consumed by tigers.
    [Show full text]
  • Small Carnivore Conservation
    SMALL CARNIVORE CONSERVATION The Newsletter and Journal of the IUCN/SSC Mustelid, Viverrid & Procyonid Specialist Group Number 23 October 2000 Short-tailed mongoose (Herpestes brachyurus) - Photo: H. Van Rompaey The production and distribution of this issue has been sponsored by “Columbus Zoo”, Powell, Ohio, USA “Central Park Zoo”, New York, NY, USA “Marwell Preservation Trust Ltd”, Colden Common, UK “Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp”, Antwerp, Belgium and the “Carnivore Conservation & Research Trust”, Knoxville, TN, USA 23 SMALL CARNIVORE CONSERVATION The Newsletter and Journal of the IUCN/SSC Mustelid, Viverrid & Procyonid Specialist Group Editor-in-chief: Harry Van Rompaey, Edegem, Belgium Associate editor: Huw Griffiths, Hull, United Kingdom Editorial board: Angela Glatston, Rotterdam, Netherlands Michael Riffel, Heidelberg, Germany Arnd Schreiber, Heidelberg, Germany Roland Wirth, München, Germany The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the IUCN, nor the IUCN/SSC Mustelid, Viverrid & Procyonid Specialist Group. • The aim of this publication is to offer the members of the IUCN/SSC MV&PSG, and those who are concerned with mustelids, viverrids, and procyonids, brief papers, news items, abstracts, and titles of recent literature. All readers are invited to send material to: Small Carnivore Conservation c/o Dr. H. Van Rompaey Jan Verbertlei, 15 2650 Edegem - Belgium [email protected] [email protected] Printed on recycled paper ISSN 1019-5041 24 Trophic characteristics in social groups of the Mountain coati, Nasuella olivacea (Carnivora: Procyonidae) A. RODRÍGUEZ- BOLAÑOS, A. CADENA and P. SÁNCHEZ This study identifies the dietary composition of the Moun- kind of adaptation in order to exploit some kind of particular tain coati Nasuella olivacea (Gray, 1865).
    [Show full text]
  • CONSERVATION and SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS of the FUR TRADE in the RUSSIAN FAR EAST by Natalia DRONOVA and Alexander SHESTAKOV
    TRAPPING A LIVING: CONSERVATION AND SOCIO- ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE FUR TRADE IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST by Natalia DRONOVA and Alexander SHESTAKOV TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, A TRAFFIC EUROPE-RUSSIA REPORT works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. It has offices covering most parts of the world and works in close co-operation with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). For further information contact: The Executive Director TRAFFIC International 219a Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK Telephone: (44) 1223 277427 Fax: (44) 1223 277237 Email: [email protected] The Director TRAFFIC Europe Boulevard Jacqmain 90 B-1000 Brussels Belgium Telephone: (32) 2 343 8258 Fax: (32) 343 2565 Email: [email protected] this report has been published with the kind support of: is a joint programme of JUNE 2005 TRAPPING A LIVING: CONSERVATION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE FUR TRADE IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST by Natalia DRONOVA and Alexander SHESTAKOV Hunter’s path through wintry forest (TRAFFIC Europe-Russia / Alexey Vaisman). This report was published with the kind support of the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation and WWF Germany. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... IV Executive summary ...........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Niche Relationships of Carnivores in a Subtropical Primary Forest in Southern Taiwan Po-Jen Chiang1,*, Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei2, Michael R
    Zoological Studies 51(4): 500-511 (2012) Niche Relationships of Carnivores in a Subtropical Primary Forest in Southern Taiwan Po-Jen Chiang1,*, Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei2, Michael R. Vaughan1, and Ching-Feng Li3 1Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA 2Institute of Wildlife Conservation, National Pingtung Univ. of Science and Technology, Neipu, Pingtung 912, Taiwan 3Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk Univ., 61137 Brno, Czech Republic (Accepted December 28, 2011) Po-Jen Chiang, Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei, Michael R. Vaughan, and Ching-Feng Li (2012) Niche relationships of carnivores in a subtropical primary forest in southern Taiwan. Zoological Studies 51(4): 500-511. Carnivores are at the higher trophic levels and have garnered much attention in conservation and management efforts. In this study, we attempted to understand resource partitioning among sympatric carnivores existing in a primary forest with minimal human disturbance in southern Taiwan by camera trapping after the disappearance of the top carnivore, the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa). Niche relationships were studied in terms of habitat, diet, and time dimensions. Six carnivore species were recorded, but the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus) was very rare. Canonical correspondence analysis of photographic rates and habitat factors of the other 5 carnivores showed that elevation was the strongest factor explaining the composition of the carnivore community in the habitat dimension. Carnivores could be divided into 3 groups. The low- to mid-elevation group consisted of the gem-faced palm civet (Paguma larvata taivana) and crab-eating mongoose (Herpestes urva formosanus) which had contrasting activity patterns and different diets; the mid- to high-elevation group consisted of yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula chrysospila) and Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica taivana).
    [Show full text]