Muntiacus crinifrons, Sclater, 1885
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6514377 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6514429 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A087C4-FFC6-FFC7-FA76-F9AAEC6EF3B1 |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Muntiacus crinifrons |
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Black Muntjac
Muntiacus crinifrons View in CoL
French: Muntjac noir / German: Schwarzer Muntjak / Spanish: Muntiaco negro
Other common names: Hairy-fronted Muntjac
Taxonomy. Cervulus crinifrons Sclater, 1885 ,
Ningpo, Zhejiiang ( China).
For more than a century only five specimens were known. It is closely related to M. gongshanensis and sometimes confused with it. Monotypic.
Distribution. Zhejiang and neighboring areas, E China. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 90-110 cm, tail 20 cm, shoulder height 55 cm; weight 20-25 kg. Females are slighter larger than males. Large-sized muntjac, with a rufous or golden-yellow long-haired frontal tuft, pointed ears;tail relatively long and fringed with white hair. Pedicles are 7-9 cm long, antlers are 7-8 cm long. The diploid number of chromosomes is 9 (males) and 8 (females).
Habitat. It lives in mountain forests with abundant undergrowth, sometimes also in scrubland. Up to 1000 m above sea level. The forests consist of a mosaic of deciduous broadleaf, evergreen, and bamboo patches with dense undergrowth and subtropical monsoon conditions.
Food and Feeding. Its diet consists of leaves, twigs, fruits, forbs, grasses.
Breeding. Females attain puberty at about twelve months of age. Breeding is aseasonal. After about 210 days of pregnancy, females give birth to a single fawn. In one study, some lactating females were found carrying fetuses, implying that post-partum estrus is possible in this species.
Activity patterns. Nothing is known about activity in this species.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Black muntjacs are solitary and territorial, but little is known of their movements. Secretions from the frontal and preorbital glands are rubbed against vegetation to mark territories. When the territory of a male Black Muntjac is invaded, he defendsit using the tusk-like upper canines to drive out the invader.
Status and Conservation. CITES Annex I. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The total population was assessed in late 1990s at 7000-8500 individuals. The Black Muntjac is declining; overhunting and habitat loss and degradation continue to represent important threats. Habitat fragmentation is responsible for a genetic differentiation among subpopulations.
Bibliography. Amato et al. (2000), Groves & Grubb (1990), Harris (2008), Lan Hong et al. (1995), Lu Hogee & Sheng Helin (1984), Smith & Xie Yan (2008), Wang Wen & Lan Hong (2000), Wu Hailong et al. (2006, 2007).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
