Herpestes semitorquatus, Illiger, 1811

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Herpestidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 262-328 : 311

9.

Collared Mongoose

Herpestes semitorquatus

French: Mangouste a collier / German: Halsbandmungo / Spanish: Meloncillo de collar

Taxonomy. Herpestes semitorquatus Gray, 1846 ,

Borneo.

The Collared Mongoose has sometimes been considered a subspecies of the Shorttailed Mongoose (H. brachyurus), but is now generally accepted as a valid species. Two subspecies were recognized: one on Borneo and one on Sumatra, but a taxonomic revision and a verification of specimen records are needed.

Distribution. Borneo. Said to occur on Sumatra, but this is based only on two old museum specimens.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 40-45. 5 cm, tail 25.8-30. 3 cm, hindfoot 8.2-9. 3 cm; weight c. 3-4 kg. The coat color is reddish-brown, with fine yellow markings on the back. The lower parts of the legs are blackish-brown. The underside of the head and neck are yellowish; there is a whitish stripe on the side of the neck, from the ear to the shoulder; the color above the stripe is dark and is lighter below. Dorsal hairs are short (10-20 mm). The tail is yellowish and is more than 60% of the head and body length. The posterior chamber of the auditory bulla is less flat than in the Javan Mongoose and extends to well below the occipital condyle. Dental formula: 13/3,C1/1,P4/4.M2/2 = 40.

Habitat. Primary rainforest, disturbed forest, and plantations. On Borneo, recorded from lowland areas up to 1200 m.

Food and Feeding. Nothing known.

Activity patterns. Appears to be manly diurnal, based on recent camera-trapping data.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Terrestrial. Appears to be solitary.

Breeding. Nothing known.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient in The IUCN Red List. Virtually nothing is known about this species. Field studies and assessments of possible threats are urgently needed.

Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Davis (1962), Payne et al. (1985), Schwarz (1947), Wells et al. (2005), Wozencraft (2005).

Figures

1. Marsh Mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), 2. Long-nosed Mongoose (Xenogale naso), 3. Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), 4. Short-tailed Mongoose (Herpestes brachyurus), 5. Indian Gray Mongoose (Herpestes edwardsii), 6. Indian Brown Mongoose (Herpestes fuscus), 7. Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), 8. Javan Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus), 9. Collared Mongoose (Herpestes semitorquatus), 10. Ruddy Mongoose (Herpestes smith), 11. Crab-eating Mongoose (Herpestes urva), 12. Stripe-necked Mongoose (Herpestes vitticollis)

Distribution. Borneo. Said to occur on Sumatra, but this is based only on two old museum specimens.