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Feeding Ecology of the Bokiboky, Mungotictis Decemlineata (Family Eupleridae)

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Feeding Ecology of the Bokiboky, Mungotictis Decemlineata (Family Eupleridae) Feeding ecology of the bokiboky, Mungotictis decemlineata (family Eupleridae) Bako Rasolofoniaina1, Prisca Razafy2, Aristide Résumé détaillé Andrianarimisa2,3, Emilienne Razafimahatratra2 & Le régime et le comportement alimentaire peuvent Peter M. Kappeler1,4 varier selon la taille corporelle et l’activité journalière 1 Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, Göttingen 37077, Germany au sein de l’ordre des carnivores. En particulier, E-mail: [email protected] les membres de la famille des Herpestidae sont 2 Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Faculté connus pour se spécialiser pour le régime insectivore des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906, et comme étant des espèces généralistes et Antananarivo 101, Madagascar opportunistes. Cependant, concernant la famille des E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Eupleridae, l’écologie alimentaire reste encore peu 3 Wildlife Conservation Society, Villa Ifanomezantsoa, investie. Afin de combler ce manque d’information, Face II A 78 D, Soavimbahoaka, BP 8500, l’objectif de cette étude est d’examiner la composition Antananarivo 101, Madagascar du régime alimentaire et le comportement alimentaire E-mail: [email protected] de bokiboky, Mungotictis decemlineata, selon les 4 Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German saisons. Pour cela, la présente étude a été menée Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, dans la forêt de Kirindy/CNFEREF (20°2’50’’- Germany E-mail: [email protected] 20°4’57’’S, 44°38’57’’-44°41’33’’E), située dans la partie centre-ouest de Madagascar pendant les saisons sèche et humide, du mois de mai à août Abstract 2013 et du mois de janvier à mars 2015. La détermination du régime alimentaire a The members of the order Carnivora display a variety été basée sur l’analyse des fèces, alors que le of dietary patterns that appear to be linked to body comportement alimentaire a été étudié à partir des size and activity. Small-bodied members of the observations comportementales. Plusieurs méthodes family Herpestidae are known to specialize on an ont été combinées afin d’identifier et d’estimer insectivorous diet and to be opportunistic generalists. quantitativement les types de proies consommés par However, the feeding ecology of the Malagasy M. decemlineata pendant les deux saisons : le nombre mongoose-like carnivorans of the family Eupleridae minimum d’individus et la fréquence d’occurrence. remains poorly known. To fill this gap, we provide En outre, des estimations de la richesse spécifique detailed observations on the feeding ecology of the et de l’abondance des invertébrés terrestres dans forest-dwelling bokiboky (Mungotictis decemlineata). les sites d’étude ont été faites pour connaître si M. We investigated variation in their seasonal diet and decemlineata est sélective vis-à-vis du type de proies foraging patterns in the Kirindy Forest/CNFEREF, a ou non. Au total, 420 proies appartenant à 22 taxa dry deciduous forest in central western Madagascar. ont été identifiées à partir de 63 échantillons fécaux Data from dry and rainy seasons were collected collectés. En outre, 37 individus focaux ont été suivis using a combination of fecal analysis and behavioral afin d’analyser leurs préférences en substrats lors de observations. A total of 420 food items from 22 la recherche de nourriture et de connaître les proies different taxa were detected in 63 fecal samples. pouvant être consommées par l’espèce mais qui ne The present study revealed that M. decemlineata pourront pas être détectées à partir des échantillons has a broad dietary preference, but is predominantly fécaux due aux processus de digestion. insectivorous. Furthermore, M. decemlineata Les résultats obtenus montrent que le régime et responds to seasonal variation in prey abundance. Its le comportement alimentaires de M. decemlineata inclination to insectivory may be a factor facilitating sont influencés par l’abondance et la disponibilité the formation of female groups. des proies dans le milieu pendant les saisons Key words: diet composition, seasonality, sèche et humide. Cependant, même si les proies insectivorous, Mungotictis decemlineata vertébrées et invertébrées sont présentes dans la Rasolofoniaina, B., Razafy, P., Andrianarimisa, A. Razafimahatratra, E. & Kappeler, P. M. 2019. Feeding ecology of the bokiboky, Mungotictis decemlineata (family Eupleridae). Malagasy Nature, 13: 152-161. Rasolofoniaina et al.: Feeding ecology of Mungotictis decemlineata 153 composition alimentaire de M. decemlineata, les of their energy budget to balance hunting costs and arthropodes ont représenté une grande majorité des energy gain (Carbone et al., 2007). proies consommées que ce soit qualitativement ou According to optimal foraging theory, maximization quantitativement tout au long de l’année. Par ailleurs, of the net rate of energy intake is shaped by the l’utilisation des différentes strates par l’espèce abundance and availability of resources (Bond, durant la recherche alimentaire diffère suivant les 1980; Pyke, 1984; Sano, 1993; Tinker et al., 2008; saisons. Il a été noté que M. decemlineata concentre Balestrieri et al., 2009). One major factor that may ses recherches dans les strates où la rencontre de influence food availability and its abundance in proies est la plus probable, tels que la litière pour la many habitats is seasonality. For instance, arthropod saison sèche et les bois morts durant la saison des abundance is related with seasonal variation in pluies. De plus, M. decemlineata ingère les mêmes rainfall (Wolda, 1988). However, ground-dwelling taxons d’arthropodes pendant les deux saisons, mais arthropods exhibit less seasonal patterns in variation ajuste son régime alimentaire selon l’abondance et of their abundance than flying species (Dammhahn & la disponibilité saisonnière des différents types de Kappeler, 2008). Diet composition was indeed found proies. to be more diversified due to greater abundance and prey availability during the rainy season compared to La consommation d’une grande variété de proies the corresponding lean season in several species of a permis de classer M. decemlineata parmi les carnivores (Herpestidae: Suricata suricatta: Doolan prédateurs généralistes, au surplus elle est largement & MacDonald, 1996; Eupleridae: Cryptoprocta ferox: opportuniste et fortement insectivore. Cette Hawkins & Racey, 2008). adaptation aux variations saisonnières à l’abondance Food availability and abundance are also primary et à la disponibilité des proies permet à l’espèce ecological factors affecting mammalian social d’optimiser le taux d’énergies obtenues ; mais aussi systems as they may facilitate the maintenance of le régime insectivore peut être une des facteurs stable groups by reducing intra-specific competition facilitant la mise en place de la vie en groupe surtout associated with food abundance (Palomares & chez les femelles adultes, qui peut être caractérisée Delibes, 1993; Kappeler et al., 2013). For species par l’absence de compétition alimentaire directe chez with an insectivorous diet, the availability and les groupes de femelles durant les observations renewability of invertebrate food are known to comportementales. Ainsi on peut conclure que decrease the intensity of feeding competition (Rood, l’écologie alimentaire de M. decemlineata présente 1986; Palomares & Delibes, 1993; Veron et al., 2004; beaucoup de similitudes à celle de Galidictis fasciata Le Roux et al., 2009). Thus, an insectivorous diet grandidieri dans le Sud de Madagascar mais aussi à is not only an adaptation to high insect availability celle des petites espèces d’Herpestides diurnes. (Cavallini & Nel, 1995), but also one of the conditions Mots clés : régime alimentaire, comparaison promoting group living in some carnivores (Rood, saisonnière, insectivore, Mungotictis decemlineata 1986; Baker, 1989; Palomares & Delibes, 1993; Doolan & MacDonald, 1996). In the Herpestidae, Introduction in particular, a combination of an insectivorous diet, diurnal activity and small body size are thought to The different families of the order Carnivora exhibit promote group living (Cavallini & Nel, 1995; Veron et considerable size-related variation in diet and al., 2004). activity. Small carnivores, including most members In contrast to the Herpestidae, the feeding ecology of the families Herpestidae and Eupleridae, the of their Malagasy sister group, the Eupleridae (Yoder latter endemic to Madagascar, generally feed on et al., 2003), has not been studied in detail. Only a small prey items, such as invertebrates and small few studies on the behavioral ecology of euplerids vertebrates (Gittleman, 1985; Carbone et al., 1999; have been conducted (Albignac, 1976; Rasoloarison Andriantsimietry et al., 2009; Goodman, 2012). et al., 1995; Hawkins & Racey, 2008; Andriatsimietry Several studies revealed that African and Malagasy et al., 2009; Lührs & Kappeler, 2013, 2014; Lührs et species have an insectivorous diet and are known to al., 2013; Schneider & Kappeler, 2016; Schneider et be opportunistic generalists (Herpestidae: Galerella al., 2016), and their feeding ecology remains poorly nigrata: Rathbun et al., 2005; Eupleridae: Galidictis known. We therefore conducted a study of the feeding grandidieri: Andriantsimietry et al., 2009). This ecology of the euplerid Mungotictis decemlineata, specialization is presumably due to an adaptation known by the vernacular name bokiboky. 154 Rasolofoniaina et al.: Feeding ecology of Mungotictis decemlineata Mungotictis decemlineata
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