Suan CnnNrvonnCoNSERVATToN The Newsletterand Journal of the IUCN/SSC Small CarnivoreSpecialist Group rucN Number33 October2005 Snoll lndion Civet Viyetricula indi.a cougllt by a conero trcp enterin, o live trop Phoro:Su Su Theproduction and distribution of thisissue has been sponsored by "Royal ZoologicalSociety of Anhverp",Antwerp, Belgium and"Columbus Zoo", Powell, Ohio ColumbusZOO Svrnn CnnxrvoRECoNSERVATToN The Newsletterand Joumal of the IUCN/SSC SmallCamivore Soecialist Grouo Editor-in-chief: HarryVan Rompaey, Edegem, Belgium Associateeditor: William Duckworth,Bristol, UK Editorial board: AngelaGlatston, Rotterdam, Netherlands MichaelRiffel, Heidelberg,Germany Brian Robards,Pawleys L, SC, USA Amd SchreibelHeidelberg, Germany RolandWirth, Miinchen,German, This numbersas alsosponsored bJ: PH I LADELPHIA t7p/0i) e99 r :.12 ":'l'r J\4* FIFTE3 209 !"]I !Eq! zsq $e-.m-"raz"l ,; Thc vicws cxprcsscdin this pnblicationarc thoseoi thc rulhors rnd do not necessxrilyreflect those ofthe IUCN. northe IUCN/SSC CarnivoreSpecialist Group. 'I hc rim of this publicatioDis to offcr lhc mcmbersot thc IUCN/SSC Carnivc'reSG. and thosewho arcconccmcdNithnustelids. viverrids.andproc]'.onids. briefpapers. news items, abstracts. andtitles ol rcccnt liLcfulLrrc.Al1 rcadcrsrrc inlilcd 1(lsend nrterial to: Small CarnivoreConserYation c/o Dr. H. Van Rompaey Jan Verbertlei,15 2650 Edegem- Belgium Harry.VanRompaey@ tijd.com http://iucn.org/themes/ssc/sgs/mvpsg/ PnnL(.1uI re()(led p.'per ISSN l0l9-5041 The rediscovery of Mungotictis decemlineatslineata Pocock 1915 (Carnivora: Eupleridae) in southwestem Madagascar: Insights into its taxonomic status and distribution Stcven M. GOODMANT, Hannah THOMAS2 and Danen KIDNEY, Summary and uscthe associited spccinren toassesspanems olgeographicai rarirtron and ihe tixo onric statusof membersofthis 8enus. Thcenden cgenus andsp ecies Mungoti.tis d.enlittata. occumngonly rn alinriledregnDof westernMrdrgrscar,ispoorly Methods known rnd questionsremrin about ir! dislributi{rr ,rndpafterns ot' gcographrcvariarion. Two subspecic\are generallyrccognized. We consultcdlpecimeos of M,n qo.rd,r housedin sevcral M. d. dc(.,tin?dta,occttring inthe norrhcrnrunge ofthis spccies. rJru-rlhi'r, n nru"urn,Thex.rolIrn,r rh.,ein.. r'rr^n.... and . /. 1,?.dra,treviously only known fiol]t lhc holotype and BMNH Thc Nrtural Hisrory Muscum. l-ondon ltbrmcrlr the pre\umed tr) occur in the southernlimit of the fuDgc.A rccerrly British Muscum (Natural Histort)li FMNH Field Muscum of collecredspc.inrer fron a rcgn)n in which rhis specieshad nor Naruril History. Chicagoi rnd MNHN Musium Natioral preliously bccn documenredhclps to resolle scleral aspects d H istoireNaturclle. Ilaris. concerninglhc !alidity ot'M / 1tr?arrand the disrributionofthis Five externil casufenentswere recordcdiD n llinerers trom a lcw crtturedindividuals. Theseincludeil: toral lcngth(TL). Introduction herd bodl length (HB). rail length (Tail). hind lixn length otor including claw) (HF). rDd caf leng|h(Ear). Fu.rhcr.bodv massin Oneolthc more geogriphically Iimiredspecicsof Malagasy g' a'nswasmeasured usrngabalance. SMC mcrsuredsevencranrat (lanrivora is thc diumal of crepusculrrNmrow-stripcd Mongoose, and livc denial chariclcrs using digital calipers.rccumte to rhe rttunsntilis d(totli,rcati (A. crandidicr, 1867).known ironr a oeiresl0. I m nr.The measurcmcnts,thei delioirions,and acrcnynls linited arcr in dre wesrern lowland portion ot fic island. The arc: greatesrskrll lcngth (GSKL): liom prrr ol' 'n"1!'\ae tolreriormost i. :r Ini.n"mer.J\ r(.r'nr !(i(||( .!idence showsthat ihis genusis Dot alsociatectwilh the fanily Herpenidae.bur rdtherit and alloth.r nadveMltlagasy Carnivora tirrm a rnonothyleiic group(Yoder.r.r/ . 2001)rhrr rre now placed Lnrheendemic lamily Euplendac(Wo/encraft ,hpress). tlntil rtew \.ah ago little inli)nnaiion wis n!.rilablc on M letenlincdtn Albrgnac. 1976), but recenr licld lrudies ha!c trovided ,or\idcrable insight into LheDatural hisrory and distrib bn of rhis animal (c.9., Rabeantoandro,lS97: RazafimnnrnNoa,2003: \\oolaler.r d1.200.1). The noniralc fonn, M l. .tu..r?/iredra, is geneftlly citcd .^ occuniDgin rhe Menibe region.r hwland ffer falling between rrinnrheTsiribihinaRiler$urhLotheMnngoky Rivcr0-i8. t).bnr unlil recentlvfe\l dcr.rilswere availablcaboufihe prescnccol rhis .mi rrl in the sourhernfortiolr of this protosed range.A sccond 'ub\Fcies.M/ 1d.ardlbcock.l9l5hls!.onrpliquedkxoDomic ri\Ior! that is discusledin detril aDdrcsolved by H,twknrs.i d/. 1000). This laner fornr was previously known onlv l-rom tlc fr: f()lorypciD l he NaturalHislry Museum.LondoD.Scvemtau(hors MangokY .J\e ggc\LcdthatM. /.lir.d/.i nrighroccur in thc n)urhwesrern 22 I ' i.rruf [< r.l:n",,.rrlr',f I ulm1r. (,,r I rr l.irnrr,.rrrrJ.,r.nr.r: .loser tl) thc Toliara region lRnn where the holoLypeapparertly ,!iginarest or perhrfs iu(her nonh in rhc regjon of the PN de l\LnrdyNlue,t (Nicoll & l.aogmnd.1989r Schrejber "/ d1..1989j Itrtrkin! {,rd/.2000). Fufthef. gn,en thalM. d.1nr.a/./ was kDown ritln r rngle sFcime rnd dut rnuseunr Inalcrial ot' M. ./. r,rurlik,dtr is extremelylinircd. iLh{s beer pre!iously unclear I lhcchmcteff usedro scparrlethese tlvo subspccieiare discrete r trll \irhnr Lheranre of a single taxon. Urril r rccent field F r\cnl(n" of the lorencd arca along the Manombo River. ro rhc r,rrh of litiam. o litrrhcf infonnarion was aldilable about rhe rrnnbuhon of Mungotitlis ir southwesrc.nMadagascar. The 01 tttt \!ntn) pni\ rt tltrlu!!\ antl \nt\ ntnln 1.l i" .!,posesol this paperarelorcporLon a recerrtlyrrappcd individuat occipilal bone Io arterior-buccal aheolar bodef of 'nc'sors: Pelage coloration condyloblsrllcnglh(CBL): lio r posrerlor roslpm ofoccipilal .o10). roJflen'f-huccrl ilr<ol.f hurJer.'r ir(r-{.:/)!"T.,ri. A ounber of felagc chrrrctcrqhave beenproposed to brcad(h(ZB):grealest width acrosszygomatic arches: to(orbitrl separarerhe ruo fbrnrsof Mrrgori.rts (Hawkins!/ d/.-2000). width (POw): dorsal widlh at most considcred pa|1 of skulli The dorsunlnof M../. r/...nlin.dtd i\ r\ Erizzled pale gra) sith mrstoid bi:adlh (MBl: greatestbreadth acfossslull at mastoid r series of pale bfoNn strites that cornmence diffLrselyin lhe processes:pnlatal length (l'l-): fronr disral c.lgc of prcnraxillaero shoulderregion and tcrnrinatcalo g lbe hlndquartefs.lhe rnrerlor most edge of palate: post palatrl lcngth (PPL)] lrom venterardlegs are f!lcorrngc brown.ln contrast.the holot,""pe occipit.rlcond)lc to thedistal mostedge of palateiupper toolhr)w ot M. l. linealt (BMNH slin 18.17.10.19.:land sku11 (UTR):lengrhacross the occlusal;udace ofincisors Lo disrrl ost 11t.18.5.12.2).which is N slightll oterstutltd sub adult wrth cdgcollhcdisl.rl orolar: molarrow length (MRl-)ilength rcrosslhc p.rrti.rllt unossified cfanial sunrcs and not fully erupled iidult occlusxlnrrlaccofthe mxillary nolar seriesiCMr:cn^vn lcngLh dcntition,hisdirkef dor!unrcolorrtioD thrn specirnersofM. L lrom lhc antcrior buccll aileolar bordef of ihe canrne lo Lhc de(enlinedtuin the BMNH. I'urthcr.lhe dorsal nripes are posteriorbuccalmarginoithethirdmolarwidthMr(WMr): widlh darkerard nroredistinctthanin lhcnominale tbrnr andconrmence ol uppersecond molar at acrosscuspt and width M'( wM' ): width aswell detinedstr ipes notabl) highcr on thenape ardjust disial ofupper third lnolar al ncrosscusp. to theear! and tcnninrte at thebase ofthe tail.Thc !cntcr ol lhc holotlpc is distincdl,darker than m specinrcnsol rhcnorDlnate Resultsand discussion foln and affn)rchcs r russct color. DcscripLionol lhe study site and cedain aspect! of thc The six BMNH sp.cimcns ol M. L diqtlin.ata collectedbyC S. webb in rhcrcgion of Beroboki ircludetu o sub'adults( | 9,18.21I rnd 19.18.210),b:rsed on rootheruption On 9 November2004. during abiologicil lnventory ot the tlucrns rnd skull ossification,and pro\idc rht rreans lo li)rcsrrlonglhcManomboRiver!alley.amediunr!izedcarni!orc. assessige variationin pclagcrolorrlron rr r \in!le localily. referlble to Mlrsdrn?ir z/s.dr?lir.dnr wascaptured. The nap site Thc otherlour specimersare adul1. All ofth..e \i\ specrmens. wasat: Toliara l1 ov ince.Mrnombo Ri!cr vallcr-,near Andoharano. regrrdlcssol their age. are consi\tenr in rh.ir dors.tl tur 2l''.18.352S. 0,13'.1.1.912'8.at app()ximrrcly .l0{) m above sei colomtion,including the clillirsed dorsrl .rnpins In coDtrast, lelei (Fig. l). The specinrcnbcrrs rhe iield nunber Front'er thcir !cntnl colorarionshows con\iderlhl. \.rrirlion lronr a Nladagascar(MGIi) 01,1084 and has beencaraloged h tbe Field (r..,n trrpetJro3rlberce-hrosIll JJrl .. Nluseunrof Natural Histofy (FMNH I 84087). relatedto age!s thc lwo sub rdult\ r.pr.'.nt rhee\lrcmcs in colorallon.This seriesis considefahl\,lrrl.r.nr rn coloration Fron its soufce to AndohurDo. close ro lhe site the andthc cltcnt ol thc dorral \lnpe\ li(, rh. h('lorlpc ol M. 21. Vrnaoti.rir specimenwa\ caprured.thc Manombo River culs a lh.ar.r, and b) cxlr{tolalion thc'. Jii,(ren(...unnol s"ntly prssagc lhrough the limesione rock of the Mikobokr Plrteru, be attributedto age.'luo st.einr.n..,)r,trr.,.3 en rdult creatinga steeps ided valley. On bothsidcs of thcri! cr. thin alluvial (FMNH 176128)and r subrdult rF\l\H l-rrllt)rfun lhc soils suppoft r na )w brnd ol g.tllcr) tbresl lbetween25 50 nr) southcrnpor(ion of the Menaber.'!,,'n. r,l.r Lnrhc Kirindy innnediitel]- adjacenlto the flood tlain. Bclond this. rhe gallery Mitea Forcsl. arc sinilar in dor.rl t.lJ:c .,,|(,rJrronlo the lincst gives wa] to dry deciduousforest, wi!h a rrllcrcrnop] 1aler. Berobokaseries. whilc rhrt from th. \lJn,'n,h,,Ri\ er closcl) 'lhe lpecinrenrcportcd hcre waslbund onthe southefnbank oflhc n)atche s the holotype of M. ./.hrld r,r 1h. \1.'n.,nrho.pecilnen Manombo River. in dry dcciduousforcst on a ge|tle. nonh-lacrrg hrs r beigc !enter with a distinctil ,lJrl .u...r $r\h. lery slope lt wrs cafturcd ir a Nrlional trip placedon the groundand similarto theM. /. ltr.dld holor\p.. !nJ .,'r.'hl\ ,iirl,cr than b{itcd with dncd meal.The habitatat the tat site is.harrclcrizcd indiriduils lronr the Menabe.egion by hr\'ing corti' TdhI. 1. E "rnal wasurefl.fltr o/Mungotictis dcccmlineala.Err.i)llr/ 'rddiuttDu,I\,t :n, ,r ' ;,ff,t Nl d t$ccn l5 25 In in l]]leatauft' not dnilabl.