The first record of Indonesian Mountain Weasel Mustela lutreolina from northern Sumatra, Indonesia
Wulan PUSPARINI1,2 and Marsya Christyanti SIBARANI1
Abstract
An Indonesian Mountain Weasel Mustela lutreolina was camera-trapped at 2,596 m in the eastern part of Leuser Landscape, Su-
It is now safe to assume that the species can be found at appropriate altitudes throughout the Bukit Barisan mountain-range, whichmatra, spansIndonesia. the latitudinal This is the range first record of Sumatra. from theVariation northern in the half pelage of Sumatra. coloration It is onlyemphasises the second the photographneed to review of a the wild taxonomy individual. of the species. The survey also camera-trapped Collared Mongoose Herpestes semitorquatus, one of few Sumatran records and, at 666 m asl, the highest on the island by almost 400 m.
Keywords Herpestes semitorquatus, Leuser Land- scape, locality record, pelage morphology : Collared Mongoose, Data Deficient species, extension of known range, habitat, Temuan Pertama Pulusan Gunung Mustela lutreolina dari Bagian Utara Sumatera, Indonesia Abstrak
Pulusan gunung telah terdokumentasi pada ketinggian 2,596 m di bagian timur Kawasan Ekosistem Leuser, Sumatera, Indone sia. Foto tersebut merupakan temuan pertama yang berasal dari Sumatera bagian utara dan foto kedua individu liar. Temuan ini memperkuat asumsi bahwa spesies ini dapat ditemukan pada ketinggian yang sesuai di rangkaian Bukit Barisan, yang merentang dari Utara hingga Selatan pulau Sumatra. Pulusan gunung menunjukkan variasi warna rambut yang menekankan kebutu- han tinjauan ulang taksonomi spesies ini. Terdokumentasi juga di survey ini garangan ekor panjang Herpestes semitorquatus, satu dari sedikit catatan yang ada dari pulau Sumatera. Spesies ini ditemukan pada ketinggian 666 m dpl sehingga merupakan catatan tertinggi keberadaannya di Sumatra dibandingkan catatan sebelumnya hingga lebih dari 400 m.
Kata kunci: catatan setempat, habitat, Garangan Ekor Panjang, Herpestes semitorquatus, Kawasan Ekosistem Leuser, morfologi warna rambut, perluasan area jelajah yang telah diketahui, spesies dengan sedikit data
Indonesian Mountain Weasel Mustela lutreolina, restricted to of latitude north of the previous northernmost record (that of Java and Sumatra, Indonesia, is little known in distribution, Eaton [2009] at 1°41′50″S, 101°17′40″E). It is now safe to as- population and ecology. Hence, its threats cannot be mean- sume that the species can be found at appropriate altitudes ingfully assessed so it is categorised on The IUCN Red List of throughout the Bukit Barisan mountain-range, which spans Threatened Species et al. 2008) the latitudinal range of Sumatra. until further study allows an informed judgement. The pau- A camera-trap provided two photographs (six seconds city of M. lutreolina as Data Deficient (Duckworth apart) of M. lutreolina (Fig. 1) in the eastern part of Leuser Landscape, inside the designated Gunung Leuser National Park records indicates how difficult this species- (NP) at 3.29942°N, 98.24914°E (WGS84; 2,596 m asl; derived gestedis to find 25 using years conventional ago (Schreiber survey et al techniques.. 1989), or Whetherbecause ofthis a from a DEM layer) (Fig. 2) on 15 February 2013 at 12h40. This is because there is not much M.study lutreolina specifically specimen for it, from as sug Su- altitude matches previous records at 1,400–3,000 m asl (Meiri matra was from Bengkulu district in 1865 (van Bree & Boeadi et al. 2007). The photographs show an animal with general 1978).real rarity Since is unclear.then, four The other first records have been made on the shape and posture shown only, among the mammals of Suma- island: specimens from Gunung Dempo in 1936 (Lunde & tra, by weasels Mustela. Two weasel species are known from Musser 2003) and 1942 (van Bree & Boeadi 1978); and single the island: M. lutreolina is typically dark brown in colour, with a thin tail (van Bree & Boeadi 1978, Eaton 2009), while Malay 2006) and June 2008 (Eaton 2009). Its occurrence in Java is Weasel M. nudipes is typically (but with some variation) bright field sightings in Kerinci Seblat in each of July 1995 (Holden- orange with a whitish head, and has a ‘feathery’ tail (Brong- bodas, West Java, to a record in 1958 from the same location ersma & Junge 1942, Ross et al. 2012). The tail morphology (Meiriconfirmed et al from. 2007). nine There records seem from to be as no far more back recent as 1916 records. in Ci M. lutreolina, not M. nudipes. Although the Leuser animal is All records from both Java and Sumatra suggest that M. lutreo- not the typical colour of either species, Jeremy Holden (in litt. lina is restricted to high altitudes above 1,400 m (van Bree & fits - Boeadi 1978, Holden 2006, Meiri et al. 2007). M. lutreolina M. lutreolina is M. lutreolina in the 2014) confirms that it looks similar in colour to his field sight (ingin littidentified. 2014). as The family Holden. Identification (2006) observed as in Kerinci This note describes the first record of Seblatfurther was confirmed in alpine by WilliamVaccinium Duckworth scrub a few and hundred Alexei Abramov meters relatively well surveyed Leuser landscape. This confirms its occurrence in the northern half of Sumatra, about five degrees Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51: 92–95, December 2014 92 Northernmost Indonesian Mountain Weasel record
Fig. 1. The Indonesian Mountain Weasel Mustela lutreolina camera-trapped at 2,596 m asl in Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia, 15 February 2013.
Fig. 2. Camera-trap arrangement within Leuser Landscape, 2013. The camera-trap station recording the Indonesian Mountain Weasel Mustela lutreolina is marked with star. The previous northernmost record on Sumatra (Eaton 2009) is marked with a white circle on the inset. above the tree line. The Leuser photographs come from similar Together with the Ulu Masen Landscape to the north-west, habitat, at high elevation above the tree line. the area forms the largest natural forest area and biodiversity Gunung Leuser NP is nested within the vast Leuser resource surviving in Sumatra, the Leuser–Ulu Masen Ecosys- Landscape in northern Sumatra (27,000 km²), selected for con- tem. Gunung Leuser NP has a rugged forest interior bordered servation and restoration of the Leuser biodiversity and eco- with human-dominated areas. it supports various habitats system as mandated by the Presidential Decree No. 33/1998. from lowland forest at 5 m asl to the subalpine zone of Gu-
93 Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51, December 2014 Pusparini & Sibarani
nung Leuser at 3,445 m. Gunung Leuser NP has been chosen as a UNESCO heritage site, in part because it teems with rich post-Pleistocene biodiversity. The weasel was camera-trapped during WCS’s January– July 2013 capture–recapture study of Sumatran Tiger Panthera tigris in the eastern part of Gunung Leuser National Park (Fig. 2). The camera-traps (Panthera camera V4) were set without baits or lures, in pairs at 144 stations giving an average camera- trap-day density of 300/100 km² across 1,337 km² (minimum convex polygon). The camera-traps were set to detect Tiger on trails, mounted on tree trunks with the sensor directed perpen- dicular to the animal trail at height of ~45 cm above the ground and 4–5 m from the trail. The surveyed habitat is mostly moun- tainous with an altitude range of 116–2,973 m asl. Of 144 sta- in the potential altitudinal zone of this weasel. The camera-trap stationstions, 78 separated(54.16 %) by were altitudinal at or above zonation 1,500 (Laumonier m and thus 1997)firmly Fig. 3. Herpestes semitorquatus into: lowland 2.52% (below 150 m), low elevation hills 15.72% Two Collared Mongooses camera- (150–500 m), medium elevation hills 18.24% (500–900 m), trapped at 666 m asl in Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia, sub-montane 13.84% (900–1,400 m), lower montane 15.72% 26 July 2013. (1,400–1,900 m), montane 25.16% (1,900–2,500 m), and trop- ical upper-montane and subalpine 8.81% (above 2,500 m). The semitorquatus was camera-trapped twice through three - photographs taken at one camera-trap station (3.29051°N, 98.09631°E; 666 m asl): a duo on 26 July 2013 at 14h28 and study area has little anthropogenic influence because of itsM. rug lu- a single on 2 July 2013 at 21h03. The animals are foraging in treolinaged terrain. The and weasel difficulty seems of access. to have been interested in the the ground (Fig. 3). There are very few records of this species equipmentThis is and the climbed first ever the camera-trap background photographof one camera-trap’s of from Sumatra; all previous ones with elevation information mount. This might have increased this small animal’s chance come from below 300 m (Holden & Meijaard 2012). detecting Tiger and possibly not optimal for weasels. Although Acknowledgements M.of triggeringnudipes is theknown camera-trap, from Gunung specifically Leuser setNP (Duckworthat a height for et This paper would not have been conceived without keen observation al. 2006), none was camera-trapped during the survey, con- of William Duckworth and his great enthusiasm for the manuscript, sistent with the general rarity of records of the species by this for which we are gratefully thankful. We also thank Wilson Novarino, method (Duckworth et al. 2006, Ross et al. 2013). All M. lutreolina specimens from Java apparently have pelts dark brown (glossy dark russet) in colour (van Bree & (AmericanAdnun Salampessy Museum andof Natural Meyner History) Nusalawo who who by return conducted provided the phofield- Boeadi 1978). All Sumatran specimens are also this colour: tographssurvey in ofLeuser the pelt 2013, of Taofikthe specimen Nugraha described for the map, in Lunde Eileen & Westwig Musser the two from Gunung Dempo (van Bree & Boeadi 1978, E. (2003), and Alexei Abramov, Jeremy Holden, Darrin Lunde and Erik Westwig in litt. 2014) and the one from Bengkulu (Dammer- Meijaard for their quick replies to requests for information. Appre- man 1940). One sighting in Kerinci Seblat was also brown ciation also goes to Gunung Leuser National Park for permission to (Eaton 2009). But the other sighting from Kerinci Seblat carry out the survey, and Panthera for funding the survey. (Holden 2006) and this record are of animals greyish in pel- age. Although some of the colour of the Leuser animal might References be photographic artefact, the tones of the background do not Brongersma, L. D. & Junge, G. C. A. 1942. On the variation of Mustela suggest that this could be the sole reason for its greyness, nudipes. Zoologische Mededeelingen 23: 149–170. Dammerman K. W. 1940. On the Indo-Australian weasels, with the description of a new species from Sumatra. Temminckia 5: 266– Thewhile extent, Holden’s if any, (2006) of seasonal description variation of a infield pelage sighting colour as in slate- this 272. speciesgrey confirms has not that been the investigated. species can, There on Sumatra, are so few be thisspecimens colour. Duckworth, J. W., Lee, B. P. Y.-H., Meijaard, E. & Meiri, S. 2006. The from Java that it is possible that grey animals occur there as Malay Weasel Mustela nudipes: distribution, natural history and well and by chance have not been collected. Nonetheless, it is a global conservation status review. 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Holden, J. & Meijaard, E. 2012. An orange-coloured Collared Mon- Ross, J., Hearn, A. J. & Macdonald, D. W. 2013. Recent camera-trap re- goose Herpestes semitorquatus from Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. cords of Malay Weasel Mustela nudipes in Sabah, Malaysian Bor- Small Carnivore Conservation 47: 26–29. neo. Small Carnivore Conservation 49: 20–24. Laumonier, Y. 1997. The vegetation and physiography of Sumatra. Klu- Schreiber, A., Wirth, R., Riffel, M. & Van Rompaey, H. 1989. Weasels, wer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. civets, mongooses, and their relatives: an action plan for the con- Lunde, D. P. & Musser, G. G. 2003. A recently discovered specimen of servation of mustelids and viverrids. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Indonesian Mountain Weasel (Mustela lutreolina Robinson & van Bree, P. J. H. & Boeadi 1978. Notes on the Indonesian Mountain Thomas, 1917) from Sumatra. Small Carnivore Conservation 28: Weasel Mustela lutreolina Robinson & Thomas, 1917. Zeitschrift 22. für Säugetierkunde 43: 166–171. Meiri, S., Duckworth, J. W. & Meijaard, E. 2007. Biogeography of Indo- nesian Mountain Weasel Mustela lutreolina and a newly discov- 1Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Program, Jl. ered specimen. Small Carnivore Conservation 37: 1–5. Atletik No. 8, Tanah Sareal, Bogor, 16161, Indonesia. Ross, J., Gemita, E., Hearn, A. J. & Macdonald, D. W. 2012. The oc- 2Department of Environmental Conservation, currence of reddish-orange mongooses Herpestes in the Holdsworth Hall, 160 Holdsworth Way, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Malay Weasel Mustela nudipes. Small Carnivore Conservation MA 01003-9285, USA. 46:Greater 8–11. Sundas and the potential for their field confusion with Emails: [email protected], [email protected]
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