Northern red muntjac

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Northern red muntjac
Northern Red Muntjac, Muntiacus vaginalis in Khao Yai national park (24073673163).jpg
Northern red muntjac (♀) pictured in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, July 2015
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Genus: Muntiacus
Species:
M. vaginalis
Binomial name
Muntiacus vaginalis
(Boddaert, 1785)
Muntjac distribution map.gif
Range of the northern red muntjac (M. vaginalis) and the southern red muntjac (M. muntjak)

The Northern red muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis) [1] [2] is a species of muntjac. It is found in numerous countries of south-central and southeast Asia. [1]

Contents

The northern red muntjac inhabits various forest types, from tropical rainforests to deciduous and evergreen forests, and is adaptable to secondary forests and human-altered landscapes.

Males are characterized by short antlers and elongated upper canines, which they use in territorial and mating disputes. The species is known for its distinctive bark-like calls, serving as alarm signals or communication between individuals.


Taxonomy

It was recently found distinct from the southern red muntjac (previously typically known as Indian muntjac) and includes all the population previously attributed to M. muntjak that are outside of Sunda and perhaps of Malaysia. [1]

The subspecies bancanus, montanus, muntjak, nainggolani, peninsulae, pleiharicus, robinsoni, and rubidus stay in the southern red muntjac (M. muntjak), while annamensis, aureus, curvostylis, grandicornis, and nigripes are now attributed to the northern red muntjac (M. vaginalis). [3]

Distribution

The northern red muntjac occurs in twelve countries of south-central and south-east Asia including Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. [1]

It is also present in Hong Kong. Its presence in Malaysia is uncertain. [1]

Muntjac at Tadoba National Park, India Barking Deer .jpg
Muntjac at Tadoba National Park, India

Conservation

It is listed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN due to its large distribution, presence in protected areas and resilience to hunting and habitat change. [1]

Due to the degradation of habitat and hunting for their body parts and meat, muntjac populations are drastically decreasing throughout their range. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Timmins, R.J.; Steinmetz, R.; Samba Kumar, N.; Anwarul Islam, Md.; Sagar Baral, H. (2016). "Muntiacus vaginalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T136551A22165292. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T136551A22165292.en .
  2. ↑ "Muntiacus vaginalis (id=1006338)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists . Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "Muntiacus muntjak (id=1006332)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists . Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Bhim Singh; Ajit Kumar; Virendra Prasad Uniyal; Sandeep Kumar Gupta (2019). "Complete mitochondrial genome of northern Indian red muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis) and its phylogenetic analysis" . Molecular Biology Reports. 46 (1): 1327–1333. doi:10.1007/s11033-018-4486-z. PMID   30456740.
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