NAT. NAT. HIST. BUL L. SIAM S配. 55 (1): 187-192 ， 2007 Observations Observations of Sma Il -toothed Palm Civets Arctogalidia 的ivirgata in in K.h ao Yai National Park ，Thailand ， with Notes on Feeding Techniques J. J. W. Duckworth 1 andA. R. Nettelbeckf Small-toothed Small-toothed Palm Civet (=Three-striped Palm Civet) Arctogalidia trivirgata occurs widely widely across Southeast Asia. Historically it has sometimes been considered as a scarce or declining declining species ， or one confined to remote 釘 eas. This note documents observations from Kh ao Yai National Park ，which is among the sites in Southeast Asia best surveyed for mam- mals. mals. In the context of other recent records ， there is no compelling reason to consider the species species as rare ，localised or declining ， but instead simply one 由at ， through its behaviour ，is easily easily overlooked by standard mammal collecting and survey techniques. Field Field observations During 5-9 May 1995 ， Small-toothed Palm Civets were found three times (two sI!l- gles ，one duo) along the main road north of the park headqu 紅 ters and visitor cen 住'e ， in 7'/4 hours hours spot-lighting by foot (following methodology ofDuCKWORTHETAL. ， 1994). All were in 白e canopy of roadside broad-leaved evergreen forest (see SMITINAND ， 1968) at c. 760-800 maltiωde. Animals were active ，crashing noisily as they ran (as typical ofthe species: DUCK- WOR 叩， 1997) and ，twice ，making a spectacul 紅 canopy-to ・canopy leap across the main road north north of the headquarters. Such leaps were preceded by vigorous to-and- 企o sh 嘘 ing ofthe jump-off jump-off perch ， thereby decreasing substantially the distance to be covered. All were calling ， with with two call-types just as given in Laos (see DUCKWORTH ， 1997): loud disyllabic snorts ， and soft ，rather hollow-sounding ， tchuck calls ， given about once per second. On 12 October 1995 ， a silent male Small-toothed Palm Civet was found eating figs in a small Ficus hispida (Moraceae) (Moraceae) tree ， only 8 feet above ground ， near the headquarters at 2225 h，and later watched for for 90 minutes (see below); the animalle 負 the bush by walking along the roadside wires (re- calling 血 e agility on ropes of a shipboard captive noted by S百 RNDALE [1884] ，阻dBANKS'S [1931] [1931] general admiration for its climbing abilities). On 21 Janu 紅 y 1996 two were observed at at about 2100 h in a1 紅 ge fI owering tree by 血e park headquarters ， foraging singly ，calling (with (with ‘high-pressure' snish notes) and moving actively; at one stage ，one animaljumped onto the the roof of a building ，making a loud bang. τ'h e animals were identified by their diagnostic calls and the clear views 白rough lO x40 binoculars binoculars under illumination by a hand-held Nitech Xcell halogen spot-light (100 ，000 cp). Standard Standard pelage features and the diagnostic e紅 pattem (naked pink inner surface with thick dark dark intrusions 仕om the rim ， with duller pink ，lightly-haired ， outer surface) of the northem rac 四 ofthe species (see VAN BEMMEL ， 1952) were readily visible ， because no animal fI ed IWild1ife IWild1ife Conservation Society; current address ，East Redham Farm ，Pilning ，Bristo1 ， BS35 4JG ， U.K. 2Ho1steinisches 仕asse 54 ，D-10717 Berlin ，Germany. Received Received 6 November 2006; accepted 26 February 2007 187 187 188 188 1. W. DUCKWORTH AND A. R. NETTELBECK fr 'O m i1l uminati 'O n. The species typically permits a cl 'O se appr 'O ach and prol 'O nged viewing (e.g. W ALSTON & DUCKWOR 四， 2003; BORISSENKO ET AL. ， 2004). During 由 e visit 'O fMay 1995 ， tw 'O C 'O mm 'O n Palm Civets Paradoxurus hermaphroditus were als 'O 'O bserved; alth 'O ugh n 'O ther 'O ther species can realistically be misidentified as Small-t 'O'O thed Palm Civet ，this latter ，al 'O ng with with Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata ，is pr 'O bably 血em 'O st likely s'O urce 'O fc 'O nfusi 'O n f'O r inexperienced 'O bservers. Giant flying squirrels Petaurista may c 'O nceivably als 'O be misi- dentified dentified as arb 'O real civets. JWD was already familiar with all these species 企om extensive n 'O cturnal mammal surveys in La 'O s (DUCKWORTHETAL. ， 1994; DUCKWORTH ， 1997; EVANS ET AL. ， 2000). Th e Small-t 'O'O thed Palm Civet 'O bservati 'O ns in Kha 'O Yi 討 were spread acr 'O ss many m 'O nths and several miles 'O fr 'O ad ，precluding any p'O ssibility that 血ey might refer t 'O released released pets. The latter is ap 'O ssible s'O urce 'O f any n'O vel rec 'O rd ar 'O und the p紅 k's headquar- ters ters (LYNAM ET AL. ， 2006: 81 ，82 ，209) ， and evidently explains s'O me an 'O mal 'O us rec 'O rds 'O f Small 目 t'O'O thed Palm Civet elsewhere (e.g. Su Su ， 2005). Given Given recent rec 'O rds fr 'O m evergreen 'O r semi-evergreen f 'O rest fr 'O m Huay Kh a Kh aeng Wildlife Wildlife Sanctuary (RAB 町 OWIπ ， 1991; CONFORTI ， 1996) t'O出 .e west 'O fKh a 'O Yai ，Phu Kh ie 'O Wildlife Wildlife Sanctuary (GRASSMAN ， 2004) t'O the n'O rth ，vari 'O us La 'O sites (DUCKWORTH ， 1997) t 'O the n'O rth-east ， and Camb 'O dia (W ALSTON & DUCKWOR 百， 2003) t'O恥 east ，出 e species' 'O ccu 町'ence in Kh a 'O Yai is n'O t at all unexpected. With n 'O published survey using appr 'O priate meth 'O d'O l'O gy acr 'O ss the Nati 'O nal Park ，it is unclear h'O w wid~spread 'O r abundant the species is is there. Th ec 'O ntact 企'equency 'O f appr 'O ximately 'O nce per 2' /2 h'O urs in May 1995 ，alth 'O ugh based based 'O nt 'O'O few 'O bservati 'O ns t 'O be definitive ，c 'O mpares well with th 'O se 'O f 'O nce per 4h 'O urs in in Cat Tien Nati 'O nal Park ， Vietnam (BORISSENKO ET AL. ， 2004) and 'O nce per 7-8 h'O urs f'O r vari 'O us sites in La 'O s (DUCKWORTH ，1997). 百 is may reflect 恥'O ptimal search c'O nditi 'O ns pr 'O vided by Kh a 'O Yai's r'O ad (a l'O ng viewing distance with g'O'O d sighting int 'O the can 'O py) and ，perhaps ， the l'O w levels 'O f hunting ，at least f'O r species 'O fl 'O wc 'O mmercial value ，in 出 e headquarters headquarters area 'O f the p紅 kf 'O r the preceding tw 'O decades (NE'π 'E LBECK ， 1997). Detection Detection of tbe species and requirements for survey Th e species was missing 合'O m lists 'O f Kha 'O Yai mammals by b'O th SRIKOSMATARA & HANSEL (1996) and L YNAM ET AL. (2006). Th is d 'O ubtless reflects tw 'O reas 'O ns advanced l'O ng ag 'O by POCOCK (1939) t 'O expl 必n 出 epaucity general 'O f field 'O bservati 'O ns 'O n 出 e species ， and by V AN BEMMEL (1 952) f'O r the l'O w numbers 'O f museum specimens. Firstly ，it is str 'O ngly n'O ctumal (STE 悶 D 此 E， 1884; BANKs ， 1931; HARRISON ， 1962; BATTEN & BATTEN ， 1966; DUCKWORTH ，1997) ， and extensive 'O bservati 'O ns by day during 1992-1996 int 'O仕 uit trees 泊出is part 'O f Kh a 'O Yai ，閲覧icient t 'O detect many Bintur 'O ngs (NETTELBECK ，1997) ，f 'O und n 'O Small-t 'O'O thed Palm Civet (ARN ，pers 'O nal 'O bservati 'O ns). Sec 'O ndly ，it 'O nly very rarely c'O mes t 'O the gr 'O und. Al th 'O ugh 由e genus seems never t 'O have been subject t 'O a field s旬dy ， its its general anat 'O my (VAN BEMMEL ， 1952) c'O upled with 'O bservati 'O ns 'O f captive animals (e.g. sτ 芭RNDALE ， 1884) and general field sightings (e.g. HOSE ， 1893; DAVIS ， 1962; PAYNE ET AL. ， 1985;RAB 町 OWI 'IZ， 1991) indicate str 'O ng arb 'O reality. HAR 即 SON (1962) categ 'O rised 血especies as ‘undercan 'O py' rather than ‘can 'O py' ，but 由is' is evidently n'O t appr 'O priate in at least PartS 'O f the range. Of 32 field c 'O ntacts in La 'O s during 1992-1996 ，23 were in 血e can 'O py ，8 in the midst 'O rey ， and 1 in the underst 'O rey; n'O ne descended t 'O the fl ∞Ir (DUCKWORTH ，1997) ，alth 'O ugh GRASSMAN (2004) did catch 'O ne in a gr 'O und-level b'O x 住ap baited with a live chicken. 百lese habits habits mean that tw 'O c'O mm 'O n survey techniques f'O rn 'O ctumal animals ，c 創 nera-trapping 佃 d OBSERVATIONS OF SMALL-TOOTHED PALM CIVETS ARCTOGALIDIA TRNIRGATA 189 examination examination of hunted anim a1 s in markets and villages (many of which 紅 e sn 紅 'ed) ，greatly under-record under-record this civet ，by comparison with ground-dwelling sm a1 1 carnivores. Furthermore ， searches searches for footprints would be unlikely to detect Sm a1 1-toothed Pa1 m Civet ，and it is anyway unclear unclear whether its prints 釘 'e distinct from other similarly-sized Southeast Asian carnivores.