Genetta victoriae, Thomas, 1901
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5714564 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5714873 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FC03440B-FFF3-FF93-EAA6-4749F5D5F4D8 |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Genetta victoriae |
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Giant Genet
French: Genette géante / German: Riesengenette / Spanish: Gineta gigante
Taxonomy. Genetta victoriae Thomas, 1901 View in CoL ,
type locality debated: Uganda or Zaire.
Monotypic.
Distribution. DR Congo and W Uganda. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 55-60 cm, tail 41:3—-49 cm, hindfoot 9.2-10. 5 cm, ear 4.5-5. 1 cm; weight 2.5-3. 5 kg. A large genet. Both sexes are similar in color and size. The coat color ranges from yellowish to ochraceous-white; the ventral pelage is paler. There is a pair of wide nuchal stripes and a nuchal crest. The dark mid-dorsal line is discontinuous, but has long hairs that give it a continuous appearance; these hairs form an erectile dorsal crest. The dorsal spots are small and randomly distributed. The face has a dark mask and a pair of supraand sub-ocular white spots. The tail has about six pale rings alternating with dark rings. The width of the pale rings relative to the dark rings in the middle of the tail is less than 20%; the tip of the tail is dark. The hindlimbs and forelimbs are brown to black. There is one pair of teats. The posterior chamber of the auditory bulla is ventrally inflated, with a continuous curve line on the external side. The premaxillary-frontal contact is present and the maxillary-palatine suture is just behind the main cusp of P2. The ratio between the inter-orbital constriction and frontal width is less than 1 + 0-12. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40.
Habitat. Rainforest. Ranges up to 2000 m. Ecological niche modelling has predicted potential suitable regions in lowland forests in Cameroon, southwestern Central African Republic, northern Gabon, and north-western PR Congo (plus a small area of swamp forest between the PR Congo and the DR Congo). Deciduous forest and woodlands in southern DR Congo and Angola, and patches of deciduous forest and woodland in Tanzania, northern Zambia, and Uganda, also offer possible habitat. Its apparent absence west of the Congo and Oubangirivers might be due to lack of survey effort, low dispersal abilities, or riverine geographical barriers.
Food and Feeding. Nothing known.
Activity patterns. Appears to be nocturnal: a single animal was observed trotting along a forest road at about 22:30 h, and a captive individual was only active at night. Reported to sleep in hollow trunks of dead trees or among vines.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Thought to be solitary.
Breeding. Nothing known.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. A poorly known species and field studies are needed. There are no known major threats, but it is hunted for bushmeat and skins, which are used to make hats and other ceremonial objects.
Bibliography. Carpaneto & Germi (1989b), Gaubert, Taylor & Veron (2005), Gaubert, Papes & Peterson (2006), Kingdon (1971-1982), Schreiber et al. (1989), Van Rompaey & Colyn (In press h), Wozencraft (2005).
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.
