An orange-coloured Collared Mongoose Herpestes semitorquatus from Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
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Abstract Jeremy HOLDEN and Erik MEIJAARD
Herpestes semitorquatus occurrence
Two camera-trap photographs from central Aceh in July 2012 confirm Collared Mongoose sional)in the north with ofaccurate Sumatra, altitude Indonesia, information and comprise in being the from first the undoubted lowlands. record More recordsof the species from the on islandSumatra are since necessary 1917. toThey determine fit with Collaredthe few previous Mongoose’s Sumatran conservation records status in being there. of an orange-red animal, and with the three previous Sumatran records (one provi-
Keywords
Garangan: camera-trap, Ekor Panjang colour variant,Herpestes extension semitorquatus of known range, oranye lowland berwarna forest, rediscovery merah dari Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia Abstrak
Herpestes semitorquatus Dua foto hasil kamera-trap dari bagian tengah Aceh pada bulan Juli 2012 memberikan konfirmasi keberadaan spesies Garangan Ekor Panjang di Sumatra, Indonesia sebagai catatan valid pertama sejak catatan terakhir pada tahun 1917. Catatan yang disertai foto ini sesuai dengan beberapa laporan sebelumnya mengenai keberadaan satwa berwarna merah- oranye ini. Bersama dengan tiga catatan sebelumnya (satu catatan sementara) memberikan informasi akurat keberadannya di dataran rendah. Data-data tambahan lain dari pulau Sumatera diperlukan untuk menentukan status konservasinya di pulau ini. Introduction were collected from Ayer Taman in Ophir District in West Su
Three species of mongoose Herpestes are known from the In - Soekadana,matra adjacent South to Sumatra,Gunung Paseman which he on had 4 originallyMay 1917 assumed (Robinson to about the distribution, abundance and natural history of each- & Kloss 1919). Jentink (1894) documented one specimen from donesian island of Sumatra, but much H.remains brachyurus to be, Collaredclarified because the collector was based there. It is indeed unlikely that Mongoose H. semitorquatus and Small Asian Mongoose H. ja- abe collector from Soekadana sending inspecimens west Borneo, from but a place re-allocated of the same to Sumatra name vanicusspecies. there:This paper Short-tailed aims to clarify Mongoose the status of H. semitorquatus on Sumatra. There The three species are usually readily distinguishable in the mayas his be base only but one on Sumatran another island record, would and notthat have provisional, made this of ex H.- semitorquatusplicit at the time, supporting Jentink’s (1894) alteration. photographs) records frequently have to be left as unidenti et al. hand, but under field conditions (including many camera-trap 2012). since 1917: one camera-trapped in the Harapan utes directly to the poor understanding of each species’s sta- Rainforest,Herpestes Jambi javanicus province, is eastalso Sumatra,known from in 2010 few (Rossrecords on tusfied onmongooses. the island. This Herpestes difficulty brachyurus of field identificationand H. semitorquatus contrib- are larger than H. javanicus - ern Sumatra as the new subspecies H. j. tjerapai Sumatra. Sody (1949) described five specimens from north- H., with brachyurus head-and-body lengths (HB) from Aceh, which conforms to H. javanicus in size,. Frechkopf and as inof upH. semitorquatusto 0.45 m. The two differ in the length of the tail which (1931) provided a brief description of a small mongoose byis less H. semitorquatus than 55% of butHB innever by the other and species, over 60% and byof theHB tal nine H. javanicus specimens from Sumatra and mapped warmer brown overall, by thecolour pale of neck-stripe H. semitorquatus invariably compared shown which he identified it. Jennings & Veron (2011) traced in to- they speculated that the species might not be native there. H. brachyurus et al Herpestes javanicus is a small four localities on the island, all in the northernmost fifth; with the blackish-brown coloration with orange speckling in and varying in (Payne colour but. 1985).never showing a light stripe on the Sody (1949: 164) wrote that “probably the occurrence of mongoose of HB about 0.25–0.41 m, a tail of 60–80% of HB, H.this javanicus animal in Sumatra is restricted to Atjeh [Aceh], where, Of these three species on Sumatra, H. brachyurus has its most certainly, it is not uncommon”. Hagen (1890) reported neck (Corbet & Hill 1992). or anywhere toelse be south very commonof Aceh. Its in currentAceh, specifically status in Suma men- trationing, is highly however, unclear. that is was not known from Deli (Medan) seemstatus to best be onlydocumented, two historical with vanlocality Strien records (1996) of and H. semitorqua Jennings &- - tusVeron (2011) tracing records widely across theH. island.s. uniformis There) H. rafflesii Anderson (1875) described a new species of mongoose, . Two animals (including the holotype of , from Sumatra, which Corbet & Hill (1992), van
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Vol. 47: 26–29, December 2012 Collared Mongoose in northern Sumatra
H. javani- cus erence to its overall colour. fersStrien from (2001) all other and Wozencraft mongooses (2005) seen in all this ascribed study to[of, primar specimen was originally adverted, Lyon (1907) made no ref- ily, .peninsular However, Wells Malaysian (1989: mongooses] 90) wrote that and “pelageskull condition colour dif is- Record - During a brief training workshop for local rangers in pro ofthat the of craniuma young juvenile.remove itHowever, from the long, auropunctatus–javanicus coarse body hair and tected forest near Jantho Wildlife Reserve, central Aceh, three conspicuously down-curved rather than level dorsal profile 3–7 July 2012,- H. semitorquatus tocomplex. have been Chasen more (1940) than a probably guess: “according correctly toguessed an old itnote to beof camera-traps were set for a five-day period, ”. In fact, Chasen’s (1940: 140) view seems along a small river in primary forest at about 280 m altitude from Sumatra in the British Museum labelled as the type of (as recorded by a GPS Garmin 60Csx receiver), at 5°19'38.4"N, ‘mineH. rafflesi there sicis an)’, but old Iskin cannot of an make immature out that example the name of thiswas formever 95°35'26.0"E (datum of WGS84; Fig. 1). Single images that whethershow an the orange-coloured same individual mongoose appears werein both made pictures. at each They of as “uniformly( rich ferruginous, paler on the head and feet. clearly16h11 onshow 5 July the andchief 17h45 feature on diagnostic 7 July (Fig. of 2). H. Itsemitorquatus is unknown Thepublished”. hairs with Anderson no trace (1875: of annulation, 282) characterised and in this the respect specimen dif fering from all other Asiatic mungooses [sic Moreover, the tail looks too long for H. brachyurus Mustela furo], and has a- itsamong tip is mongooses not visible of in the the Greater picture) Sundas, and neither the pale H. neck-stripe. brachyurus tail as long as its body”. All these characters, ] . . . itsave overall is a small size nor H. javanicus is known to occur, anywhere in its (although range, in animal . . . a little larger than a ferret [ this bright orange pelage H. semitorquatus cally noted that in H. j. tjerapai of Aceh “there is no trace of red (whichdiagnosed might the be new smaller race thanof H. fullysemitorquatus grown, reflecting that they its namedimma- or brown in the fur”; we do. not Indeed, know Sody whether (1949: this 164) is represen specifi- turity)from Sumatra, fit H. s. uniformis. Notably,, because Robinson it “differs & from Kloss the (1919) typi tative for all Sumatran specimens of the species. cal form from Borneo in having the whole upper surface uni - form with no trace of speckling caused by annulation of the- workshop were unfamiliar with this animal, identifying it as - The local rangers who took part in this camera-trapping that the unique type of H. rafflesii represents another Suma hairs,tran specimen except on of the H. crown”.semitorquatus Thus, it, seemsalthough distinctly without possible having smalla ‘musang’ carnivores (civet) in andSumatra, not ‘bambun’ and ‘musang’ (mongoose). is a common There ge is, - nerichowever, term. often confusion between the various long-bodied - directly,examined it is the not specimen, possible to which say. is apparently in the Natural History Museum, U.K. (BMNH 1855.12.24.225; Wells 1989),
Recent camera-trap records from the islands of Bor- neo and Sumatra show mongooses H.exhibiting semitorquatus variably gener rich reddish-orange pelage; theet extremes al. 2012). are These startlingly animals differ differ- froment from H. brachyurus the warm-brown and resemble colour of H. semitorquatus in both- ally found on Borneo (Ross tail length proportionate to HB). In Sabah, northern Borneo, pelage pattern (pale neck-stripe) and structure (specifically,H. semi- torquatus et al. 2012). Ross et al this morph is rare, comprising only about 5% of mongooserecords from Sumatra, (Ross from Harapan Rainforest.. (2012) This preani- malsented was only also one probably camera-trap H. semitorquatus record of ,an based orange-coloured on structure and pelage colour, but viewing angle prevented determina- the three historical Sumatran specimens of H. semitorqua- tustion of whether it had a pale neck-stripe. This individual, and et al. 2012). Perhaps the only historical described source above to discuss and confirmed orange tocoloration be this species,in Sundaic are all orange-red in colour (Ross he considered H. semitorquatus H. brachyu- rusmongooses,. He seems Schwarz to have (1947), seen no is difficultH. semitorquatus to interpret specimens because from Sumatra, and in speaking of conspecific “the great withrarity of the red
mutant”, mentioned explicitly only one “red phase” animal Fig. 1. Location of Jantho Wildlife Reserve, Aceh province, and the (from the Sungai [= River] Kapuas, in West Kalimantan, Bor- four records of Collared Mongoose Herpestes semitorquatus (one neo;animals National discussed Museum by Ross of Natural et al History specimen 142340; provisionally identified) from Sumatra, Indonesia. p. 80). This is presumably similar in tone to the bright orange . (2012), although when this
27 Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 47, December 2012 Holden & Meijaard
Muntiacus montanus, Hoogerwerf’s Pheasant Lophura inornata) hoogerwerfi, Sumatran Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx Muntjacviridis, Schneider’s Pitta Pitta schneideri, (Cyornis ruckii, Sumatran Cochoa Cochoa beccarii white Laughingthrush Garrulax bicolor Rück’s Blue Flycatcher International 2001, Zetra et al. 2002, Sözer et al and. 2006, Black-and- Brickle 2007, Shepherd 2007, Timmins et al ; Hurrell 1989, BirdLife of uncertainty whether some quite distinctive species occur on . 2008), evenMulleripicus to the extent pul- verulentus Prionailurus viverrinus; Duckworth theet al island at all (e.g.: Greatet al Slaty Woodpecker). All Sumatran and Fishing H. semitorquatus Cat records with altitude infor mation. 2009, are Lammertinkfrom the lowlands: . 2009 the two specimens of Robinson -
& Kloss (1919) were from 300 m altitude, the Harapan photo- thegraph lack from of photographs70 m and the ofJantho H. semitorquatus WR records atfrom 280 there.m. Higher Too elevations characterise Kerinci Seblat NP, and might explain place below 300 m to comment on the species’s status in the lowlands.little of the By camera-trapping contrast, both H. reported semitorquatus in Holden and (2006) H. brachyu took- rus et al H. semitorquatus from Bario, in Borneo live up to well over 1,000 m (Payne . 1985), with specific locality records of WhetherSarawak, thereat 3,700 is afeet real (about difference 1,200 in m; altitudinal Davis 1958), use andbetween from SumatraGunung (= and Mt) Borneo, Dulit at or 4,000 whether feet the(about few 1,350 Sumatran m; Hose records 1893). all by chance are in the lowlands, is not yet clear. H. semitorquatus cord, Asroughly well as 1,000 being km apparently from the Harapanthe first Rainforest,certain record is a ofcon on Sumatra since 1917, the present JanthoH. semi re- torquatus records here assembled. Together with the three pre- Fig. 2. The two images of the orange-coloured Collared Mongoose siderable extension of the known range based on the Herpestes semitorquatus from near the Jantho Wildlife Reserve, central that the species occurs at least locally throughout the island. - Aceh province, Sumatra, Indonesia, in July 2012. vious localities (takingH. semitorquatus the Harapan record as valid), it suggests
gestingSo afar, prevalence all five of this form very specimens different and from photo-re that in- Discussion Sabah.cords from However, Sumatra with are so orangefew records individuals of the (seespecies above), from sug Su-
H. semitorquatus re - occurmatra atto all).date, further records are needed to confirm the ratio Thecent biologicalpublication significance of survey informationof the rarity usingof methods likely to- of orange to brown animalsH. semitorquatus on the island with (if the precise latter altitude indeed cords from Sumatra is difficult to assess, given the limited re- from Sumatra will increase understanding of its altitudinal distributionFurther there:records if ofit is restricted to lowland forest, it may generate records (i.e., records other than those traced here may be highly threatened on the island, because these altitudes exist), and the caution required in identifying field records of et al. 2001, mongooses in Sumatra to species. Extensive camera-trapping in Gaveau et al Kerinci Seblat National Park, in west Sumatra’s Barisan Moun- areconclusively being particularly the identity rapidly of H. deforestedrafflesii, and (Jepson in the process re tains and not far (about 400 km) from the two specimens re- assess various. 2009, other 2012). museum It would specimens also be useful of Herpestes to determine from ported by Robinson & Kloss (1919), recorded no mongooses at Sumatra to check that they have been assigned to the correct- all (Holden 2006). Given that in Kerinci Seblat NP camera-traps species. were sometimes positioned to capture small carnivores (and gooserecorded H. themurva many times), and that similar camera-trapping Acknowledgements species,programmes it seems in Cambodia likely that regularly H. semitorquatus capture Crab-eating is either rare Mon in- Thanks to Matthew Linkie, Munawar Kholis, Jo Ross and Andy Hearn. (Holden & Neang 2009), a fairly similar-sized fauna of Sumatra remains remarkably poorly known, and H. semitorquatusor absent from the surveyed parts of Kerinci Seblat NP. The This record was obtained during training work by Fauna & Flora basic conservation status on the island remains highly unclear International’s Aceh Programme in conjunction with BKSDA Aceh, is just one of a number of species for which its Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam (Natural Resource Conservation Agency – Aceh Province) and Dinas Kehutanan Aceh (Forestry and (e.g., among species endemic to the island, Sumatran Mountain Estate Service – Aceh Besar District).
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