Rusty-spotted cat
Rusty-spotted cat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Felinae |
Genus: | Prionailurus |
Species: | P. rubiginosus[1]
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Binomial name | |
Prionailurus rubiginosus[1] (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1834)
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range of the rusty-spotted cat in 2016[2]
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The rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is one of the
Taxonomy
Felis rubiginosa was the
Phylogeny
The Prionailurus species are estimated to have had a
|
Characteristics
The rusty-spotted cat has a short reddish grey fur over most of the body with rusty spots on the back and flanks. Four blackish lines run over the eyes, and two of them extend over the neck. Six dark streaks are on each side of the head, extending over the cheeks and forehead. Its chin, throat, inner side of the limbs and belly are whitish with tiny brownish spots. It has a rusty band on the chest. Its paws and tail are uniform reddish grey.[5]
It is the smallest wild cat in Asia and rivals the black-footed cat as the world's smallest wild cat. It is 35 to 48 cm (14 to 19 in) in length, with a 15 to 30 cm (5.9 to 11.8 in) tail, and weighs only 0.9 to 1.6 kg (2.0 to 3.5 lb). The bushy tail is about half the length of the body.[10]
Distribution and habitat
The distribution of the rusty-spotted cat is relatively restricted. It occurs mainly in
In India, it was long thought to be confined to the south, but records have established that it occurs over much of the country.
In western Maharashtra, the rusty-spotted cat is breeding in a human dominated agricultural landscape, where rodent densities are high.[20] In December 2014 and in April 2015, it was photographed by camera traps in Kalesar National Park, Haryana.[21] It was also recorded by camera traps in Mirzapur Forest Division of Uttar Pradesh in 2018.[22]
In March 2012, a rusty-spotted cat was photographed in
In Sri Lanka, there are a few records in montane and lowland rainforest. There are two distinct populations, one in the dry zone and the other in the wet zone.[24] In 2016, it was recorded for the first time in Horton Plains National Park at elevations of 2,084–2,162 m (6,837–7,093 ft).[25]
Ecology and behaviour
Very little is known about the ecology and behaviour of the rusty-spotted cat in the wild. Captive ones are mostly
It feeds mainly on
Reproduction
The female's
Threats
Habitat loss and the spread of cultivation are serious problems for wildlife in both India and Sri Lanka. Although there are several records of the rusty-spotted cat in cultivated and settled areas, it is not known to what degree these populations are able to persist in such areas. There have been occasional reports of rusty-spotted cat skins in trade.[11] In some areas, it is hunted for food or as livestock pest.[10]
Conservation
The Indian population is listed on
As of 2010, the captive population of P. r. phillipsi comprised 56 individuals in eight institutions, of which 11 individuals were kept in the
Local names
In Sri Lanka, the rusty-spotted cat is known as kola diviya (කොළ දිවියා) or balal diviya (බළල් දිවියා).[30]
References
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ . Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Pocock, R. I. (1939). "Prionailurus rubiginosus Geoffroy. The Rusty-spotted Cat". The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. Mammalia. – Volume 1. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd. pp. 276–280.
- ^ a b Appel, A. (2016). "The first records of Rusty-spotted Cat in Nepal" (PDF). Small Wild Cat Conservation News (2): 8–10. Archived from the original on 2023-08-12. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
- ^ a b Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. (1831). "Le Chat à Taches de Rouille, Felis rubiginosa (Nob.)". In Bélanger, C.; Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. (eds.). Voyage aux Indes-Orientales par le nord de l'Europe, les provinces du Caucases, la Géorgie, l'Arménie et la Perse, suivi des détails topographiques, statistiques et autre sur le Pégou, les Iles de Jave, de Maurice et de Bourbon, sur le Cap-de-bonne-Espérance et Sainte-Hélène, pendant les années 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828 et 1829. Tome 3: Zoologie. Paris: Arthus Bertrand. pp. 140–144.
- ^ Severtzow, M. N. (1858). "Notice sur la classification multisériale des Carnivores, spécialement des Félidés, et les études de zoologie générale qui s'y rattachent". Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée. X: 385–396.
- ^ from the original on 2020-10-04. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-923445-5. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
- ^ PMID 26518481.
- ^ ISBN 0-226-77999-8.
- ^ a b c Nowell, K.; Jackson, P. (1996). "Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus". Wild Cats: status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland. Archived from the original on 2018-01-13. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
- ^ Kittle, A. & Watson, A. (2004). "Rusty-spotted cat in Sri Lanka: observations of an arid zone population". Cat News (40): 17–19.
- ^ a b Patel, K. (2006). "Observations of rusty-spotted cat in eastern Gujarat". Cat News (45): 27–28.
- ^ Pathak, B. J. (1990). "Rusty spotted cat Felis rubiginosa Geoffroy: A new record for Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 87: 8.
- ^ Dubey, Y. (1999). "Sighting of rusty spotted cat in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 96 (2): 310.
- ^ Manakadan, R. & Sivakumar, S. (2006). "Rusty-spotted cat on India's east coast". Cat News (45): 26.
- ^ Behera, S. (2008). "Rusty-spotted Cat in Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve". Cat News (48): 19.
- ^ Anwar, M.; Kumar, H. & Vattakavan, J. (2010). "Range extension of rusty-spotted cat to the Indian Terai". Cat News (53): 25–26.
- ^ Patel, K. (2010). "New distribution record data for rusty-spotted cat from Central India". Cat News (53): 26–27.
- ^ Athreya, V. (2010). "Rusty-spotted cat more common than we think?". Cat News (53): 27.
- ^ Ghaskadbi, P.; Habib, B.; Mir, Z.; Ray, R.; Talukdar, G.; Lyngdoh, S.; Pandav, B.; Nigam, P. & Kaur, A. (2016). "Rusty-spotted Cat in Kalesar National Park and Sanctuary, Haryana, India". Cat News (63): 28–29. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
- ISBN 978-93-5279-561-1. Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ Lamichhane, B. R.; Kadariya, R.; Subedi, N.; Dhakal, B. K.; Dhakal, M.; Thapa, K. & Acharya, K.P. (2016). "Rusty-spotted Cat: 12th cat species discovered in Western Terai of Nepal". Cat News (64): 30–33.
- ^ Deraniyagala, P. E. P. (1956). "A new subspecies of rusty spotted cat from Ceylon". Spolia Zeylanica 28: 113.
- ^ .
- ^ Patel, K. (2011). "Preliminary survey of small cats in Eastern Gujarat, India". Cat News (54): 8–11.
- ^ Anwar, M.; Hasan, D. & Vattakavan, J. (2012). "Rusty-spotted cat in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh State, India". Cat News (56): 12–13.
- ^ Vasava, A.; Bipin, C. M.; Solanki, R. & Singh, A. (2012). "Record of rusty-spotted cat from Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, India". Cat News (57): 22–23.
- ^ Bender, U. (2011). International Register and Studbook for the Rusty-Spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus phillipsi (Pocock, 1939) (PDF). Frankfurt: Frankfurt Zoo.[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 9558177512. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-08-12. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
Notes
External links
- "Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus". IUCN Cat Specialist Group.
- "In a first, rusty-spotted cat sighted in Kutch". DNA India. 2013.
- "Smallest cat in world: Footage of rare animal". BBC News. 2018.