Muntiacus feae, Thomas & Doria, 1889
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6514377 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6514417 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A087C4-FFC6-FFC7-FF08-F812E487F279 |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Muntiacus feae |
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Fea’s Muntjac
French: Muntjac de Fea / German: Tenasserim-Muntjak / Spanish: Muntiaco de Fea
Taxonomy. Cervulus feae Thomas & Doria, 1889 ,
Thagata Juva, Tenasserim (Myanmar).
Genetic analyses agree in considering this muntjac as a sister species to M. gongshanensis / M. crinifrons . The name refers to the Italian zoologist and explorer L. Fea. Monotypic.
Distribution. W Thailand and adjacent Myanmar; dubious reports from N Myanmar and S China. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head—body 90-100 cm, tail 10-17 cm, shoulder height 50-60 cm; weight 20-22 kg. Females are heavier than males. Medium-sized, with short, bright yellow frontal tuft, rounded ears; pedicles 4-5 cm long, antlers 5-6 cm long. Tail relatively long, fringed with white hair. The coat is dark brown speckled with yellow; legs dark; forehead and pedicles yellowish; black stripes on pedicles. The diploid number of chromosomes is 14 (males) and 13 (females).
Habitat. Seems to prefer evergreen forests of hills and mountains, inhabiting upland evergreen, mixed, or shrub forest at mid-elevations. They are also found in teak plantations.
Food and Feeding. It feeds on leaves and fruits, with some grasses and shoots as well.
Breeding. Females reach puberty at about one year of age. The young are usually born in dense vegetation, remaining hidden until able to travel with the mother. Males may compete for access to females by sparring with antlers or fighting using their fang-like canines, although little is known directly about mating in this species. Males likely defend a territory that encompasses that of several females, as in other muntjacs.
Activity patterns. Fea’s Muntjac may be either diurnal or nocturnal, but little is known regarding its behavior in the wild.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Nothing is known, but appears to be solitary, like other muntjacs.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List due to doubts about the validity of many reports of the species, and, thus, about its geographic and ecological range and conservation status.
Bibliography. Groves & Grubb (1990), Grubb (1977), Soma et al. (1987), Tanomtong et al. (2005), Timmins, Steinmetz, Pattanavibool & Duckworth (2008).
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.
