Galerella sanguinea (Rüppell 1835)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Carnivora, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 532-628 : 565

Galerella sanguinea (Rüppell 1835)

[Herpestes] sanguineus Rüppell 1835 , Neue Wirbelt. Fauna Abyssin. Gehorig. Saugeth., Vol. 1: 27.

Type Locality: "Kordofan" [ Sudan].

Vernacular Names: Slender Mongoose.

Subspecies: :

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. sanguinea Rüppell 1835

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. canus Wroughton 1907

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. cauui A. Smith 1836

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. dasilvai Roberts 1938

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. dentifer Heller 1913

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. fulvidior Thomas 1904

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. galbus Wroughton 1909

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. gracilis Rüppell 1835

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. grantii Gray 1865

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. ibeae Wroughton 1907

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. ignitus Roberts 1913

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. lancasteri Roberts 1932

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. melanura Martin 1836

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. mossambica Matschie 1914

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. mustela Schwarz 1935

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. mutgigella Rüppell 1835

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. orestes Heller 1911

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. parvipes Hollister 1916

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. perfulvidus Thomas 1904

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. phoenicurus Thomas 1912

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. proteus Thomas 1907

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. rendilis Lönnberg 1912

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. saharae Thomas 1925

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. swalius Thomas 1926

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. swinnyi Roberts 1913

Subspecies Galerella sanguinea subsp. ugandae Wroughton 1909

Distribution: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde Isls, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Dem. Rep. Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritana, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: This engimatic group, reviewed by Taylor (1975) and Watson (1990), is represented by several allopatric populations (a situation similar to the Genetta genetta complex where they are recognized as conspecific). Watson and Dippenaar (1987), in their revision, argued for the separation of nigratus (placed here in flavescens ), and swalius (considered here as conspecific), and considered swinnyi Roberts (1913), as incertae sedis (included here), although their study did not include representative samples from NE and W Africa. It is believed that swinnyi has been extirpated from the type locality (Watson, in litt.). Taylor (1989) suggested that the allopatric ochraceus from Somalia warrants full specific status (followed here). Certainly, these studies suggest that a thorough revision, inclusive of all of the African forms of sanguinea is badly needed. Taylor and Goldman (1993) present convincing evidence to suggest that swalius is conspecific with sanguinea , but also see Watson (1990).