Viverra civettina, Blyth, 1862
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5714564 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5714832 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FC03440B-FFE6-FF86-EF8B-44B3F5E7FD08 |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Viverra civettina |
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Malabar Civet
French: Civette de Malabar / German: Malabar-Zibetkatze / Spanish: Civeta malabar
Other common names: Malabar Large-spotted Civet
Taxonomy. Viverra civettina Blyth, 1862 View in CoL ,
Southern Malabar, India.
Has been considered a subspecies of the Large-spotted Civet ( V. megaspila ). Monotypic.
Distribution. SW India (Western Ghats). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 76-85 cm, tail 30-40 cm, hindfoot 13-15 cm; weight 6.6-8 kg. A large terrestrial civet, very similar to the Large-spotted Civet. The coat is gray or tawny, with large black spots on the flanks, thighs, and hindlegs. There are conspicuous black and white bands on the throat and sides of the neck. A black crest of erectile hairs runs along the back and continues as a dorsal black line to the tip of the tail; the length of the crest hairs is up to 50 mm. The tail has five or six incomplete dark rings; the tip is black. The feet have five digits, but the hallux and pollex are reduced. There are small rounded metacarpal pads and small metatarsal pads; the area around the plantar pads is naked. There are two pairs of teats. The posterior chamber of the auditory bulla has a pyramidal shape. Dental formula: 1 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40. The cheek teeth are larger than in the Large-spotted Civet.
Habitat. Lowland swamp and riparian forests, but may also be found in cashew plantations.
Food and Feeding. Nothing known.
Activity patterns. Reported to be nocturnal and to rest in scrub forests and cashew plantations during the day.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Thoughtto be terrestrial and solitary.
Breeding. Nothing known.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act. The Malabar Civet is extremely rare and is listed as a priority species for conservation by the IUCN/SSC Small Carnivore Specialist Group. It has been recorded mostly in the coastal district, from Kanyakumari in the south to Honnavar in the north. There are only two reports of its occurrence at higher elevations, in the High Wavy Mountains and Kudremukh. In 1972, the IUCN declared that the Malabar Civet was “possibly extinct”. However, in the 1970s there were two possible sight records of this species, one in the Kudremukh area, Karnataka, and the other in Tiruvella, Kerala. Skins of recently killed civets were obtained in Elayur, Kerala (in 1987), and near Nilambur, northern Kerala (in 1990). Loss and degradation of habitat is a serious threat; it is likely that surviving populations exist in the remaining lowland forests and sub-optimal habitats along the foothills and lower slopes of the Western Ghats. Another major threat is hunting for meat. Various conservation measures have been proposed: greater protection of remaining populations and habitats, captive breeding, field surveys, and ecological studies.
Bibliography. Ashraf (1990), Ashraf et al. (1993), Hutton (1949), Karanth (1986), Kumar & Rai (1991), Kurup (1987, 1989), Pocock (1933a, 1939), Prater (1980), Rai & Kumar (1993), Schreiber et al. (1989), Wozencraft (2005).
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