Paguma larvata (C. E. H. Smith, 1827)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5714564 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6636706 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FC03440B-FFF7-FF94-EADC-4986FE78F25C |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Paguma larvata |
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Masked Palm Civet
French: Civette masquée / German: Larvenroller / Spanish: Paguma
Taxonomy. Gulo larvatus C. E. H. Smith, 1827 ,
type locality not known (possibly S China).
The number of subspecies is debated and up to sixteen have been considered. A taxonomic revision is needed, but six subspecies are recognized here.
Subspecies and Distribution.
P. l. larvata C. E. H. Smith, 1827 — China (and Taiwan & Hainan Is), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
P. l. annectens Robinson & Kloss, 1917 — Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand.
P. l. grayi Bennett, 1835 — Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
P. l. leucocephala Gray 1865 — Borneo.
P. l. leucomystax Gray, 1837 — Sumatra.
P. l. tytlerii Tytler, 1864 — Andaman Is.
A possible sighting in western Java in 1993; however, there are no other records for this island. Introduced to Japan. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 50.8-87 cm, tail 50.8-63. 6 cm, hindfoot 9.5-10. 4 cm, ear 4.6-5 cm; weight 3-5 kg. A large palm civet. The coat color varies from gray, light brown, or blond to dark brown; the underparts are paler. There are no stripes or spots on the body and tail. The facial mask generally consists of a median white stripe from the nose to the top of the head, bordered by large black patches on both sides. Below each eye is a small white patch and above there is a large white mark that extends to the base of the ear and beyond. In the northern regions, the white band on the nose can extend beyond the forehead to the neck and shoulders. In the Sundaic region, the facial mask can be almost absent or yellowish, with no distinct patches, or black and white pattern. The rhinarium is large and deeply grooved up to its dorsal surface. The distal end of the tail may be darker than the basal part, and sometimes has a whitishyellow tip. The feet have five digits and are blackish. The metapodial pads are large and wide. The plantar and metacarpal pads on the forefeet are clearly separated by ridges. The metatarsal pads on the hindfeet are long and partly fused anteriorly to the plantar pads; the depression in between is naked and covered by horny papillae. On the hindfoot, the third and fourth digit pads are fused at the base. There are two pairs of teats. The perineal gland is simple: it consists of a pair of thickened ridges of skin that form the walls of a longitudinal fossa (the external parts of the ridge are hairy and the inner sides are naked). The skull is quite similar to the Common Palm Civet, but is larger and wider. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40. The teeth are small and low, and the blades on the carnassials are reduced. The premolars are small and separated from each other.
Habitat. Primary evergreen and deciduous forest, and in disturbed habitats. Found up to 2500 m. In Thailand, a radio-collared female moved in an area that constituted 67% dry evergreen forest, 30% mixed deciduous forest, and 3% dry deciduous dipterocarp forest.
Food and Feeding. Omnivorous: fruit, small vertebrates, and insects. In southeastern China, the frequency of occurrence of food items in 37 scats was: 38% Chinese berry (Abelia chinensis), 27% rodents, 24% unidentified fruit, 22% kiwi fruit, 22% beetles, 19% persimmon fruit (Diospyros spp), 3% birds, and 3% grass. In Japan, where it has been introduced, 38 stomach contents contained 73% fruit, 56% leaves, 40% arthropods, 21% other plant items, 13% molluscs, 8% mammals, 8% fish, 5% birds, and 3% reptiles. Fruits and mammals were the highest food items by weight.
Activity patterns. Mainly nocturnal. Field sightings and camera-traps have recorded activity during the night. In Thailand, radio-collared Masked Palm Civets were active over 50% of the time between 16:30 h and 04:30 h, with a peak of activity between 19:30 h and 22:30 h. In southeastern China, five radio-tracked individuals were also found active over 50% ofthe time between 18:00 h and 05:00 h; their activity declined throughout the morning, reaching the lowest point at 12:00 h, then remained moderately low until 18:00 h. Reported to sleep in tree holes or on branches in large trees. In southeastern China, rest sites were in burrows, mainly the abandoned dens of Malayan Porcupines (Hystrix brachyura); numerous daybeds were used, either once (59%), twice (14%), three times (11%), or several times (some up to 17).
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Solitary and arboreal, but does spend some time on the ground. In Thailand, an adult male had a home range of 5-9 km® and an adult female had a home range of 3-7 km? the mean daily movement was 840 m for the male and 620 m for the female. In southeastern China, the resting home ranges of three adult males were 1-8, 3-5 and 4-1 km? and 1-9 and 2-9 km? for two adult females; the mean distance moved between consecutive daybed locations was 429 m for males and 404 m for females.
Breeding. Based on captive animals, it appears that there are two breeding seasons, early spring and late autumn, although some authors suggest that this species is polyoestrous. Estrus lasts one to 13 days (mean five days) and gestation is 51 to 56 days. Litters of up to four have been reported. Neonates are born blind and open their eyes when around nine days old. They are mature at 10-22 months.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Masked Palm Civets may be threatened by habitat loss and degradation, hunting, the food trade, and the SARS epidemic. They are traded throughout South-east Asia and are commonly sold in food markets and restaurants in China, Vietnam, and Laos. They are farmed on a large scale in China for the meat trade. In the 1960s, the annual take from the wild was 80,000 to 100,000 in China. During the 1990s, civet farming developed intensively, as wild populations became scarce. By 2003, there were 660 farms in China holding 40,000 Masked Palm Civets. The SARS-like coronavirus has been isolated in this species and it may have played a role in the recent SARS epidemic (although there is no evidence that it is the natural reservoir of this virus); it is yet unclear what the ramifications will be of any recent control methods for this disease. The impacts of habitat loss and degradation on Masked Palm Civet populations are largely unknown, but on Borneo,it was found that the overall density ofcivet species in logged forest was significantly lower than in primary forest. May also be at risk from snare trapping; on Sumatra, they are commonly caught in snares set for Muntjac. Field surveys, ecological studies, and monitoring of threats are needed.
Bibliography. Azlan (2003), Bell et al. (2004), Brooks & Dutson (1994), Corbet & Hill (1992), Duckworth (1997), Goldman (1982), Grassman (1998c), Guan et al. (2003), Heydon & Bulloh (1996), Holden (2006), Jha (1999), Jia et al. (2000, 2001), Jiang etal. (2003), Keiji (1998), Lekagul & McNeely (1991), Long & Hoang (2006), Medway (1969), Meiri (2005), Moutou (2004), Payne et al. (1985), Pocock (1915f, 1933d, 1934a, 1934b, 1934c), Rabinowitz (1991), Saksaki (1991), Tan (1989), Torii (1986), Veron (1999), Wang & Fuller (2001, 2003), Yu et al. (2003), Wozencraft (2005).
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