Spotted linsang

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Spotted linsang
Temporal range: Middle Miocene-Present
Prionodon pardicolor - Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology - DSC02486.JPG
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Prionodontidae
Genus: Prionodon
Species:
P. pardicolor [2]
Binomial name
Prionodon pardicolor [2]
Hodgson, 1842
Spotted Linsang area.png
Spotted linsang range

The spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor) is a linsang, a tree-dwelling carnivorous mammal, native to much of Southeast Asia. It is widely, though usually sparsely, recorded, and listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. [1]

Contents

Characteristics

The spotted linsang resembles the banded linsang in its long, slender body, short limbs, elongated neck and head, and long tail. The ground colour ranges from dusky brown to light buff. Two long stripes extend from behind the ears to the shoulders or beyond, and two shorter stripes run along the neck. Three to four longitudinal rows of spots adorn the back, their size decreasing towards the belly. The fore legs are spotted to the paw, the hind legs to the hock. The cylindrical tail has eight or nine broad dark rings, separated by narrow white rings. The feet have five digits, and the area between the pads is covered with hair. The claws are retractile, claw sheaths are present on the fore paws, but the hind-paws have protective lobes of skin. [3] It weighs about 0.45 kg (1 lb) and measures in length about 360–380 mm (14–15 in) with a 30–33 cm (12–13 in) long tail. Its height is about 13–14 cm (5–5.5 in), the girth of its chest 14.6 cm (5.75 in), and length of head to the occiput about 7.6 cm (3 in). [4]

Distribution and habitat

The range of the spotted linsang includes eastern Nepal, Sikkim, Assam and Bengal in India, Bhutan, northeastern Myanmar, northern Thailand, Laos, northern Vietnam, and western Sichuan, Yunnan Guizhou and southwestern Guangxi in southern China. It is uncommon to rare throughout this range. [3] It is rarely observed in northern Bengal. [5] It primarily inhabits evergreen forests and shrubland. A large portion of this habitat is not protected, and this may cause the spotted linsang to be threatened with extinction due to habitat loss. [6] In Nam Et-Phou Louey National Biodiversity Conservation Area, it was observed in secondary vegetation dominated by banana stands in 2017. [7]

Ecology and behaviour

The spotted linsang is nocturnal, solitary, and at least partly arboreal. [7] It uses hollows in trees as resting and denning sites. [4] It hunts on the ground and in trees and feeds on rodents, frogs and snakes. It has also been observed feeding on carcass. [3]

Taxonomy

The Asiatic linsangs (Prionodon) are not, as was traditionally thought, members of the Viverridae (which does include the African linsangs), and may instead be the closest living relatives of the family Felidae. They have been placed in their own family, the Prionodontidae. [8] In 2004, Cytochrome b gene sequencing data changed the opinion of having Prionodon within the Viverrinae subfamily. Genetic data indicate that the similarities between Asiatic and African linsangs are due to convergence. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viverridae</span> Family of carnivorans

Viverridae is a family of small to medium-sized, feliform mammals. The viverrids comprise 33 species placed in 14 genera. This family was named and first described by John Edward Gray in 1821. Viverrids occur all over Africa, southern Europe, and South and Southeast Asia, across the Wallace Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asiatic linsang</span> Genus of carnivores

The Asiatic linsang (Prionodon) is a genus comprising two species native to Southeast Asia: the banded linsang and the spotted linsang. Prionodon is considered a sister taxon of the Felidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genet (animal)</span> Genus of carnivorans

A genet is a member of the genus Genetta, which consists of 17 species of small African carnivorans. The common genet is the only genet present in Europe and occurs in the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested servaline genet</span> Species of carnivore

The crested servaline genet, also known as the crested genet, is a genet species endemic to Nigeria and Cameroon. As the population has declined due to loss of habitat, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It was first recorded in the Mamfe Division in Cameroon and initially considered a subspecies of the servaline genet. But now it is regarded as a distinct species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Servaline genet</span> Species of carnivore

The servaline genet is a genet species native to Central Africa. As it is widely distributed and considered common, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquatic genet</span> Species of carnivore

The aquatic genet, also known as the fishing genet, is a genet that has only been recorded in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since it is only known from about 30 specimens in zoological collections, it had been listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List since 1996, as it is considered one of Africa's rarest carnivores. In 2015, it has been reassessed as Near Threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyssinian genet</span> Species of carnivorans

The Abyssinian genet, also known as the Ethiopian genet, is a genet species native to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and Djibouti. It is listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List. It is one of the least-known genet species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angolan genet</span> Species of mammal

The Angolan genet or miombo genet is a genet species endemic to Southern Africa. It is considered common in this region and therefore listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. Little is known about its ecology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab-eating mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from Asia

The crab-eating mongoose is a species of mongoose found from the north-eastern Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to southern China and Taiwan. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusty-spotted genet</span> Species of carnivore

The rusty-spotted genet, also called panther genet and large-spotted genet, is a genet that is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. It is considered common and therefore listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnston's genet</span> Species of carnivore

Johnston's genet is a genet species native to the Upper Guinean forests. As it is threatened by deforestation and conversion of rainforest to agriculturally and industrially used land, it is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded linsang</span> Species of carnivore

The banded linsang is a linsang, a tree-dwelling carnivorous mammal native to the Sundaic region of Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape genet</span> Species of carnivorans

The Cape genet, also known as the South African large-spotted genet, is a genet species endemic to South Africa. As it is common and not threatened, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Like other genets, it is nocturnal and arboreal, preferring to live in the riparian zones of forests, as long as these are not marshy areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central African oyan</span> Species of carnivore

The Central African oyan, also called Central African linsang, is a linsang species native to Central Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feliformia</span> Suborder of carnivores

Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including cats, hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Caniformia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viverrinae</span> Subfamily of carnivores

The Viverrinae represent the largest subfamily of the Viverridae comprising three genera, which are subdivided into six species native to Africa and Southeast Asia. This subfamily was denominated and first described by John Edward Gray in 1864.

<i>Poiana</i> (genus) Genus of carnivores

The African linsangs also known as oyans are two species classified in the mammalian subfamily Viverrinae, in the family Viverridae. There is one genus, Poiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linsang</span> Common name for several species of carnivore

The linsangs are four species of tree-dwelling carnivorous mammals. The name of these species originated in the Javanese language as linsang or wlinsang, and previously, was translated incorrectly in English dictionaries as "otter". The two African species belong to the family Viverridae and the two Asiatic species belong to the family Prionodontidae. Formerly, both linsang genera were placed in the subfamily Viverrinae, along with several other genera, but recent research suggests that their relationships may be somewhat different.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pardine genet</span> Species of carnivore

The pardine genet, also known as the West African large spotted genet, is a genet species living in West Africa. As it is widely distributed and common, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Duckworth, J.W.; Lau, M.; Choudhury, A.; Chutipong, W.; Timmins, R.J.; Willcox, D.H.A.; Chan, B.; Long, B.; Roberton, S. (2016). "Prionodon pardicolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41706A45219917. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41706A45219917.en . Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Species Prionodon pardicolor". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. 1 2 3 Van Rompaey, H. (1995). The Spotted Linsang, Prionodon pardicolor. Small Carnivore Conservation 13: 10–13.
  4. 1 2 Hodgson, B. H. (1847). "Observations on the manners and structure of Prionodon pardicolor". Calcutta Journal of Natural History. 8: 40–45.
  5. Choudhury, A. U. (1999). "Conservation of small carnivores (mustelids, viverrids, herpestids and one ailurid) in north Bengal, India". Small Carnivore Conservation (20): 15–17.
  6. Jennings, A.P. & Veron, G. (2015). "Predicted distributions, niche comparisons, and conservation status of the spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor) and banded linsang (Prionodon linsang)". Mammal Research. 60 (2): 107−116. doi:10.1007/s13364-014-0204-y. S2CID   17396993.
  7. 1 2 Chua, M. A. H. & Lim, K. K. P. (2017). "Spotted Linsang Prionodon pardicolor at Nam Et - Phou Louey National Biodiversity Conservation Area, Lao" (PDF). Southeast Asia Vertebrate Records (2017): 5–6.
  8. Gaubert, P.; Veron, G. (2003). "Exhaustive sample set among Viverridae reveals the sister-group of felids: the linsangs as a case of extreme morphological convergence within Feliformia" (PDF). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 270 (1532): 2523–2530. doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2521. PMC   1691530 . PMID   14667345. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-03-02. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  9. Gaubert, P.; Tranier, M.; Delmas, A.-S.; Colyn, M.; Veron, G. (2004). "First molecular evidence for reassessing phylogenetic affinities between genets (Genetta) and the enigmatic genet-like taxa Osbornictis, Poiana and Prionodon (Carnivora, Viverridae)". Zoologica Scripta. 33 (2): 117–129. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2004.00140.x.