Durrell's vontsira
Durrell's vontsira | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Eupleridae |
Genus: | Salanoia |
Species: | S. durrelli
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Binomial name | |
Salanoia durrelli Durbin et al., 2010
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Distribution of Salanoia durrelli[2] |
Durrell's vontsira (Salanoia durrelli)
A small, reddish-brown carnivore, Salanoia durrelli is characterized by broad feet with prominent
Taxonomy
An individual Salanoia durrelli was observed swimming in 2004 by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) during a survey of bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur) in the Lac Alaotra area, the largest wetlands of Madagascar. The animal was captured, photographed, and then released, but examination of the photograph showed that it could not be identified with any known species of Malagasy carnivoran (family Eupleridae). Therefore, two specimens were caught in 2005 by the DWCT. One was killed to facilitate additional morphological comparisons.[4] In 2010, it was formally described as Salanoia durrelli in a paper by conservationist Joanna Durbin and a team of scientists from the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance, Nature Heritage, the Natural History Museum, Conservation International, and the DWCT.[5] The specific name, durrelli, honors Gerald Durrell, a noted conservationist and the founder of the DWCT.[6] The common name vontsira is a Malagasy name for various species within Galidiinae.[7]
Previously, local villagers had already reported the presence of a small carnivoran at Alaotra, and it was speculated that the animal was the closely related
Description
![Black-and-white image of a mongoose-like animal on a rock](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Galidia_olivacea_Geoffroy.png/220px-Galidia_olivacea_Geoffroy.png)
Salanoia durrelli most closely resembles the brown-tailed mongoose,
In the holotype specimen, a female, the head and body length was 310 mm (12 in), the tail length was 210 mm (8.3 in), the hindfoot length was 66.8 mm (2.63 in), the ear length was 17.5 mm (0.69 in), and the body mass was 675 g (23.8 oz). In another specimen, a male which was captured and released, the head and body length was about 330 mm (13 in), the tail length was about 175 mm (6.9 in), and the body mass was 600 g (21 oz).[6] Based on these limited data, S. durrelli may be slightly smaller than the brown-tailed mongoose.[13]
The skull generally resembles that of the brown-tailed mongoose, but the rostrum (front part) is broad and deep, the nasal bones are broad and short, and the region of the palate is broad. The mandible (lower jaw) is robust and shows a high, steeply rising coronoid process (a projection at the back of the bone).[13] Statistical analysis of measurements of the skulls and teeth strongly separates S. durrelli from specimens of the brown-tailed mongoose.[14]
Salanoia durrelli has a more robust
Distribution, habitat, and behavior
Salanoia durrelli has been recorded at
Conservation status
The unique habitat of Lac Alaotra is threatened by pollution, destruction of marshes for the construction of rice fields, overfishing, and introduced species such as exotic fish, plants, the black rat (Rattus rattus), and the small Indian civet (Viverricula indica), another small carnivoran.[18] A bird restricted to the area, the Alaotra grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus), was declared extinct in 2010[19] and the population of the bamboo lemur fell by about 30% from 1994 to 1999.[20] As a narrowly distributed species with a small population, S. durrelli is likely to be threatened by degradation of its habitat and perhaps competition with the small Indian civet and the black rat, but its conservation status has not yet been formally assessed. The DWCT is working to conserve the Lac Alaotra area and the region has been designated as a protected area.[18]
Citations
- ^ Hawkins, 2016
- ^ Durbin et al., 2010, figure 1
- ^ Gill, 2010
- ^ a b Durbin et al., 2010, p. 342
- ^ Durbin et al., 2010, p. 341
- ^ a b c d e f Durbin et al., 2010, p. 346
- ^ Hunter 2019, p.76
- ^ Garbutt, 1999, p. 140
- ^ Durbin et al., 2010, pp. 345–346
- ^ Durbin et al., 2010, pp. 351–352
- ^ Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1839; cf. Garbutt, 2007, pp. 219–220
- ^ Garbutt, 2007, p. 219
- ^ a b c d e f Durbin et al., 2010, p. 348
- ^ Durbin et al., 2010, p. 344
- ^ a b c Durbin et al., 2010, p. 347
- ^ a b c Durbin et al., 2010, p. 349
- ^ Durbin et al., 2010, p. 350
- ^ a b Durbin et al., 2010, p. 352
- ^ "Species factsheet", 2010
- ^ Mutschler et al., 2001
Literature cited
- Durbin, J.; Funk, S. M.; Hawkins, F.; Hills, D. M.; Jenkins, P. D.; Moncrieff, C. B. & Ralainasolo, F. B. (2010). "Investigations into the status of a new taxon of Salanoia (Mammalia: Carnivora: Eupleridae) from the marshes of Lac Alaotra, Madagascar". Systematics and Biodiversity. 8 (3): 341–355. S2CID 84480153.
- Garbutt, N. (1999). Mammals of Madagascar. ISBN 1-873403-52-6.
- Garbutt, N. (2007). Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide. A & C Black. ISBN 978-0-7136-7043-1.
- Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. (1839). "Notice sur deux nouveaux genres de mammifères carnassiers, les Ichneumies, du continent African, et les Galidies, de Madagascar" [Notice on two new genera of predatory mammals, the Ichneumies, from the African continent, and the Galidies, from Madagascar]. Magasin de Zoologie (in French). 2 (1): 1–39. Archived from the original on July 31, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- Gill, V. (October 11, 2010). "New carnivorous mammal species found in Madagascar". BBC News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
- Hawkins, F. (2016). "Salanoia concolor". . Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- Hunter, Luke (2019). Carnivores of the World (2nd ed.). ISBN 978-0-691-18295-7.
- Mutschler, Thomas; Randrianarisoa, A. Jeannicq & Feistner, Anna T. C. (2001). "Population status of the Alaotran gentle lemur Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis". .
- "Species factsheet: Tachybaptus rufolavatus". BirdLife International. 2010. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
External links
Media related to Salanoia durrelli at Wikimedia Commons