Recent records of Brown-tailed Vontsira Salanoia concolor (Eupleridae) in Masoala National Park, Madagascar
Abstract Frank HAWKINS
Salanoia concolor trapping evidence. It seems rare and has been recorded only in areas remote from human habitation. On present evidence it is The presence of Brown-tailed Vontsira in Masoala National Park, Madagascar, is confirmed from sightings and
Keywordsonly found,: altitudinal across its use,range, distribution in lowland range, forest endemic, (below 600–700 lowland m). forest, Malagasy carnivores
Fahitana vao aingana ny Salano Salanoia concolor (Eupleridae) ao amin’ny valan-javaboary ny Masoala, Madagascar Famintinana
Salanoia concolor
Ny fahitana imaso sy ny fandrika nampetraka dia manamafy ny fisian’ny Salano ao amin’ny valan-javaboary ny Masoala. Vitsy ity karazam-biby ity ary tsy hita raha tsy amin’ny toerana lavitrin’ny faritra misy mipetraka. Atramin’ny izao dia ala lemaka (ambany noho ny 600–700 metatra) no nahitana azy. Introduction observations of Salanoia
Salanoia concolor (Safford & Duckworth 1990, Good- giveman some1998, indication2000, Goodman of its &status Wilmé there. 2003). I sought information Overeastern the Madagascar, last 20 years has Brown-tailed been found Vontsira in several lowland rain This note confirms the species’s presence at Masoala and (Eupleridae), a small mongoose-like carnivore endemic to I knew had seen S. concolor there. There may be many other et al - peoplefrom people who have that hadseen spent S. concolor significant in Masoala time in or Masoala, elsewhere, or thatand forest areas in northeastern Madagascar: Makiraet al forest (Farris their sightings warrant publication. . 2012, Goodman 2012),in litt Betampona (Britt 1999, Britt & fromVirkaitis the 2003),area between Mananara Betampona, Nord (Schreiber Mananara, .Zahamena 1989) and and Za- Records in chronological order hamena (N. Rakotoson . 1995). Older records are known in litt. August 2012) has spent many months working outMasoala to be (Grandidiera hitherto undescribed & Petit 1932, species, Albignac Durrell’s 1973). Vontsira Animals S. durrellireported Durbin around et Lake al., 2010. Alaotra Salanoia (e.g. Garbutt concolor 2007) is currently have turned con R. J. Safford ( The IUCN Red List of Threat- in Madagascar on birds and mammals and has experience with ened Species - onmost the Malagasy west coast carnivores. of the Masoala He visited Peninsula) Andranobe for 10 days field in station April sidered Vulnerable B1ab(ii,iii) on (15°41'S, 49°57'E, about 8 km south of the village of Ambanizana m elevation. (IUCN 2012), and has so far only been recorded S. concolor from Thelowland presence forests of (at S. concolorthe sites notedon the above) Masoala at lesspeninsula than 750 of as1992. Galidia Around midday on 24 April,Galidia while elegans in primary] had forest been aboutdoing 500almost m above daily, seaand level, not twobehaving any differently”.“trotted past The me. . . ., diagnostic exactly et al dark brown [Ring-tailed coloration andVontsira unmarked tail were seen clearly. northeastern Madagascar has long been reported (Albignac in litt. September 2012) seem1973, toNicoll have & been Langrand published. 1989, Its Schreiber presence in Masoala. 1989) isbut very no importantdetails of itsfrom presence a conservation in, or specific point recordsof view, from,because Masoala there Lily-Arison Réné de Roland ( are few other large areas of lowland forest remaining in Mada worked an average of six months per year between September gascar, this being one habitat type that has suffered very badly ing1992 the and whole December of the peninsula 2003 in Masoala,during this conducting period. He research saw S. et al. 2007). The ecology and- concoloron raptors while based at Andranobe field station but visit- conservation importance of Masoala are described in Kremen etover al the last 50 years (Harper twice only: in February 1993 around 500 m from the There are no recent records of S. concolor from elsewhere, Andranobe Field Station; and in July 1995 around 25in littkm. fromSep despite. (2001) greatly and increased Kremen (2003).survey effort in eastern Madagascar. temberthe field 2012) station, of inthe the Wildlife east of Conservation the peninsula. Society conducted During May 1996, Vonjy Andrianjakarivelo ( - lackMost of of S.this concolor survey. However,effort has recentbeen focused surveys on in mid- forests and below high- werea small capable mammal of catching survey around Salanoia Andranobe, and were field baited station with usingdried elevation forests (above 800 m), perhaps accounting for the Sherman and National/Havahart traps. Only the latter traps serve and the corridor between them have not produced any 800 m in Marojejy National Park, Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Re- fish. Three sites around Andranobe were sampled with 20 National/Havahart traps for eight days at each site, giving a 11 Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 47: 11–13, December 2012 Hawkins
S. concolor was trapped during take photographs, it stood on its hind legs and peered at him total of 480 trap-days. Only one pearing over a shallow ridge into a deep valley. this exercise. Two other sites, Ambohitsitondroina (15°34'S, for a Thisfew wasseconds the only(see sightingpicture onof Salanoiafront cover) during before three disap days- 50°00'E) and Bedinta (15°40'S, 49°59'E), bothSalanoia around was 5 cap km spent in the vicinity of the hotel. A G. elegans was seen about turedfrom Andranobe,at these sites, were although sampled three in a othersimilar carnivore way (20 trapsspecies, at half an hour after the Salanoia sighting, on the edge of prima includingeach of three the diurnalsub-sites G. elegansfor eight, were days). trapped No across the three- ry forest, near a clump of Aframomum sites sampled. The capture of G. elegans suggests that the trap pared with G. elegans, these S. concolor seemed more slightly- ping methods were appropriate for S. concolor. Details of other built with a longer, thinner snout and a slightly (Zingiberaceae). shorter tail Com that- captures will be published separately. - lacked the dark rings characteristic of G. elegans.
Lemaire visited the eastern side of Masoala, Antsahamananara Conclusions In October 1999, Robert Dowsett and Françoise Dowsett- S. concolor in reported(15°18'38"S, that 50°14'04"E), he had seen for S. four concolor days, visiting forest at an al- themselvestitude ranging did from not); 50 he to apparently 500 m. During reliably this distinguished time, their guide this onlyThese area observations where there demonstrate have been repeated the existence sightings; of even there species from the much commoner G. elegans twice. They (although also spent they theyat least are two irregular, parts ofand Masoala this is amongst National the Park. closest Andranobe to intact is andthe least disturbed areas of the park. It seems to be absent or much noting Salanoia in litt. August 2012). scarcer in some of the more disturbed areas. Its diurnal behav four days at Sarahandrano (15°17'32"S, 50°17'11"E) without (F. Dowsett-Lemaire tions presented here) would surely mean that if the species- ing atBirdQuest the Arol Lodge, Limited on are the a western U.K.-based side bird of the tour peninsula, company wereiour and more lack common, of fear ofencounters people (at would least bein twomore of frequent. the observa- that since 1999 have arranged tours to Masoala (usually stay- Acknowledgements 5never km southrecorded of Andranobe S. concolor ,and despite close recording to the forest G. elegans edge). many Over ten tours, totallingin aboutlitt. August 35–40 2012), days inthe the leader field, on they many have of Morris,I am grateful Christopher to Roger Holmes, Safford, Matthew Lily-Arison Hatchwell Réné deand Roland, Hanan JacobyVonjy An for- malstimes. in P. Madagascar, Morris ( considers it unlikely that Salanoia would drianjakarivelo, Robert Dowsett, Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire, Pete havethese been tours overlooked and with 15 by years’the tour experience groups. of birds and mam- isoaresponding provided to themy Malagasyrequests fortranslation, information. for which Zach Farris,I offer thanks.Chris Golden and Steve Goodman improved the manuscript, and Fanja Andriamial- tude ofAt about 08h50 100 on m3 January a.s.l., the 2007, author, about accompanied 2 km north-northeast by H. Jacoby, References J.of Durbin the Masoala and B. Forest Bidani Lodge saw two hotel S. nearconcolor Andranobe, moving upat ana shal alti- Faune de Madagascar 36: 1–206. little sign of fear or even awareness of us, and foraged by mov- Albignac, R. 1973. Mammifères carnivores. inglow fairlyvalley rapidly at about over 30 the m rangeleaf litter (Fig. with 1). Theheads animals down. showed On one Small Carnivore Conser- occasion they scampered around, appearing to play with each- Britt,vation A. 1999. 20: Observations14. on two sympatric, diurnal herpestids in other. One stood on its hind legs to investigate a trunk, with its Britt,the A. Betampona& NR, eastern Madagascar. Salanoia con- paws against the tree. When the author approached closer to color in the Betampona Reserve, eastern Madagascar: photo Virkaitis, V. 2003. Brown-tailed Mongoose Galidia elegans. Small Carnivore Conservation - graphs and an ecological comparison with Ring-tailed Mongoose 28: 1–3. Durbin, J., Funk, S. M., Hawkins,Salanoia F., Hills, D. M., Jenkins, P. D., Montcri- eff,from C. theB. & marshes Ralainasolo, of Lac F. B.Alaotra, 2010. InvestigationsMadagascar. Systematics into the status and ofBiodiversity a new taxon of (Mammalia: Carnivora: Eupleridae) , 8: 341–355. Salanoia concolor Farris, Z. J., Kelly, M. J., Karpanty, S., Ratelolahy, F., Andrianjakarivelo, V. on& Holmes,elevation, C. range 2012. and Brown-tailed capture rates. Mongoose Small Carnivore Conserva- tiondocumented in Makira Natural Park, Madagascar: new insights Mammals of Madagascar 47: 82–86. Garbutt, N. 2007. . Pica Press, East Sussex, U.K. Goodman,to altitudinal S. M. (ed.) variation. 1998. Fieldiana:A floral and Zoology, faunal inventory of the Ré- serve Spéciale d’Anjanaharibe-Sud, Madagascar: with reference new series 90: 1–241. Goodman,al variation. S. M. (ed.) Fieldiana: 2000. Zoology,A floral and faunal inventory of the Parc Nationale de Marojejy, Madagascar; with reference to elevation- Fig. 1. Brown-tailed Vontsira Salanoia concolor near Andranobe, Masoala, Goodman, S. 2012. Les carnivora de Madagascar. Association Vahatra, new series 97: 1–286. Madagascar, 3 January 2007 (Photo: A. F. A. Hawkins). Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 47, December 2012 12 Salanoia concolor in Masoala NP
Madagascar: revue de la conservation taires biologiques faisant référence à l’altitude dans la région et des aires protégées Goodman, S. M. & Wilmé, L. (eds) 2003. Nouveaux résultats d’inven- Nicoll, M. & Langrand, O. 1989. A wildlife survey of Maro- . WWF International, Gland, Switzerland. Recherches pour le Développement (Série Sciences Biologiques) jejy Nature Reserve, Madagascar. International Council for Bird des massifs montagneux de Marojejy et d’Anjanaharibe-Sud. Safford, R. J. & Duckworth, J. W. (eds) 1990. Wea- 19: 279–286. Centre d’InformationZoologie de et Madagascarde Documentation. Société Scienti d’édi- sels,Preservation, civets, mongooses Cambridge, and U.K. their (Study relatives. Report An40). action plan for fique et Technique, Antananarivo, Madagascar. Schreiber,the conservation A., Wirth, R.,of mustelidsRiffel, M. and& Van viverrids Rompaey, H. 1989. Grandidier, G. & Petit, G. 1932. - zerland. tions géographiques, Paris, France. . IUCN, Gland, Swit- Harper,car. G.Environmental J., Steiniger, M.,Conservation Tucker, C. J., Juhn, D. & Hawkins, F. 2007. Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Fifty yearsIUCN of forestRed List degradation of Threatened and fragmentation Species. Version in Madagas 2012.1.- Arlington, VA, U.S.A. 34: 1–9. Current address: 4855 Reservoir Road, IUCN 2012. Washington DC 20007, U.S.A.
13 Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 47, December 2012