Salanoia durrelli
| Salanoia durrelli | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Salanoia durrelli |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Salanoia durrelli | ||||||||||||
| Durbin et al., 2010 |
Salanoia durrelli is a species of predator from the family of Malagasy carnivores (Eupleridae). S. durrelli was discovered in 2004 and described scientifically in 2010 as the first new species of predator in 24 years. The genus Salanoia contains the sizing mung ( P. concolor , however, only one other kind). The two species are genetically very similar, but differ morphologically so strong that S. durrelli has been described as a separate species. The distribution area of S. durrelli is limited to an area on Lac Alaotra in northeastern Madagascar .
Salanoia durrelli is a small predator that differs from the plain mongoose in its broad feet with strikingly large pads, the reddish-yellow underside and broad, strong teeth. So far only two individuals have been scientifically measured, the weight being 600 g and 675 g. It is a swamp dweller that likely feeds on crustaceans and mollusks . The Lac Alaotra and its surroundings are highly endangered as a habitat by agricultural use and other negative environmental influences, so S. durrelli is possibly also threatened.
features
general characteristics
Salanoia durrelli is very similar in appearance to its closest relative, the plain mongoose. It is a small, slender, mongoose-like predator with short legs. The fur is reddish brown on top and paler than that of the plain mongoose. The head and neck are speckled. The underside is reddish-yellow, not brown like the plain mongoose. The largest part of the tail is like the body red to olive brown, but the tip is yellowish brown. The inside of the very hairy ears is reddish-yellow-brown. The fur is long and soft on the body and a little longer on the tail, while it is short on the head and legs.
The broad feet are bare on the underside, with the skin on the front feet being reddish-yellow-brown and on the hind feet dark brown. The feet have very pronounced pads . Each toe of the front and rear feet has a long and largely straight, dark brown claw and a row of bristly whisker hairs is formed along the outside of the feet. The plain mongoose, on the other hand, has narrower feet and less prominent pads.
So far only two individuals have been scientifically measured and one of them has been killed as a holotype . This female had a head-torso length of 310 mm, the tail length was 210 mm. The hind foot was 66.8 mm and the ear 17.5 mm. The body weight was 675 g. In the case of the second, released individual, the length of the head and torso was about 330 mm, the length of the tail 175 mm and the body weight about 600 g. According to these data, S. durrelli is probably somewhat smaller than the plain mongoose, it has a head-to-trunk length of 300 to 380 mm, a tail of 170 to 200 mm in length and a weight of around 780 grams. A sexual dimorphism , as it is partially described for the plain mongoose, does not seem to be present in Salanoia durrelli .
Skull and skeletal features
The skull of the measured female has a length of 65.8 mm and a maximum width in the area of the zygomatic arches of 37.1 mm. Its dimensions are essentially the same as those of the finishing mongoose, but the muzzle is wider. The nasal bone is wide and short, the bony palate is also wide. The mandible is strong and has a high coronoid process. Comparative measurements of the skull show clear differences to the finishing mongoose.
Salanoia durrelli has stronger teeth than the plain mongoose and the teeth are wider with larger surfaces. The first and second upper incisors are smaller than the third, which is separated from the canine teeth by a distinct gap. The canine tooth, which is typical for predators, is larger and stronger than the plain mongoose. The first premolar is small, the following two significantly larger - both are shorter and wider than in the plain mongoose. The fourth premolar is the same size as the first molar . The second upper molar tooth is smaller than 1/3 of the first molar tooth and is more regressed than in the case of the Schlichtmungo, in which this tooth is about 2/3 the height of the first molar tooth. The first lower incisor is significantly smaller than the other two. The canine, the premolars and the first molar are well developed, the second molar is wide, but narrower than that of the finishing mongoose.
genetics
In addition to collecting morphological data, comparisons of the new species with the finishing mongoose and other Malagasy predators were carried out on the basis of molecular biological data. For this purpose was the mitochondrial gene sequence for the cytb gene ( cytochrome b ) of the two in the Lac Alaotra captured individuals of salanoia durrelli with published sequences of the sizing mongooses, the pigtail Mungos ( Galidia elegans ), the galidictis ( Galidictis fasciatus ) and the narrow strip Mungos ( Mungotictis decemlineata ) compared. It turned out that the difference in the sequences between Salanoia durrelli and plain mongoose is only very small and alone would not justify any species delimitation.
distribution and habitat
S. durrelli has so far only been detected near Andreba in a swamp region at an altitude of 750 meters on the eastern bank of Lac Alaotra . The tropical shallow water lake has a size of about 200 km² with an average depth of 2 meters in the low water season and 4 meters in the high water season. The area is surrounded by about 260 km² of marshland, the vegetation of which is mainly characterized by sedges ( Cyperus emyrnensis , Cyperus latifolius and Cyperus madagascariensis ) and reeds ( Phragmites australis ).
Way of life
The first observed individual of S. durrelli was spotted swimming and was probably on the run from the scientists on the shore. The two individuals used for the first description were caught on a floating plant mat.
Very little data is available on the species' way of life. S. durrelli lives in a swampy habitat, which distinguishes it from the forest-dwelling plain mongoose. It has stronger teeth than the largely insectivorous mongoose and therefore probably feeds on hard-shelled prey such as crustaceans and molluscs as well as on small vertebrates . The animals were caught with traps that were equipped with fish and meat as bait. The species is similar in many ways of living on the African continent and slightly larger marsh mongoose ( Atilax paludinosus ), a carnivorous marshland residents, uses the also floating vegetation mats.
Systematics
In 2004, an individual of Salanoia durrelli was observed for the first time , while swimming during a population survey of bamboo lemurs (genus Hapalemur ) in the area around Lac Alaotra by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT). The animal was caught, photographed and then released again; the examination of the photos showed that the animal could not be assigned to any of the known Malagasy predatory species. In 2005, two more individuals of this species, a male and a female, were captured by the DWCT and tissue samples were taken from them. The female was sacrificed to collect morphological data. In 2010 it was first described by the conservator Joanna Durbin and a team from the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance , Nature Heritage , the Natural History Museum , Conservation International and the DWCT.
The species name durrelli honors Gerald Durrell , a well-known conservator, author and founder of the DWCT. Reports from the local population about a small predator in the area of Lac Alaotra were already known in advance; It was believed, however, that it is the brown-tailed mongoose IN QUESTION.
Salanoia durrelli was placed in the previously monotypical genus Salanoia , which so far only contained the plain mongoose ( S. concolor ) from eastern Madagascar. The geographically closest evidence of the sizing mongoose is about 55 km from the Alaotra area.
S. durrelli shows clear morphological differences to the common mongoose, but the (examined) genetic characteristics of both species are very similar. Due to the significant morphological differences, the discoverers and descriptors decided on the new description as a separate species. These differences are interpreted as a potential adaptation to the way of life in the marsh area of Lac Alaotra, as is the case with the bamboo lemur Hapalemur alaotrensis , which is morphologically different from strongly differs from the more widespread Hapalemur griseus , while here too the genetic differences are minor.
|
Phylogenetic systematics of the Malagasy carnivores
|
While the genetic findings clearly indicate that the Malagasy predators are a monophyletic group, that is, descended from a common ancestor, the internal systematics is controversial. The Madagascar mongooses probably also form a monophyletic group, although the position of the plain mongoose and thus the genus Salanoia is not exactly known. Durbin et al. suggest, based on their investigation, a sister group relationship between the genus Salanoia and the narrow- striped mongoose , with the broad-striped mongoose appearing as a sister species.
Danger
The ecosystem of the marsh region of Lac Alaotra is due to environmental pollution, habitat destruction through conversion into rice fields, overfishing and the establishment of introduced species ( neozoa ) such as exotic fish, the black rat ( Rattus rattus ) and the small Indian civet ( Viverricula indica ), a small predator, severely impaired. The Delacour Little Grebe ( Tachybaptus rufolavatus ), a species of bird whose range was limited to this region, was declared extinct in 2010 and the population of bamboo lemurs fell by around 30% within five years until 2001. The possible competition with several introduced species in the region probably also has a strong influence on S. durrelli , on the other hand the rats in particular could also serve as an additional source of food. An inventory has not yet been carried out.
The DWCT is committed to the protection and preservation of the area around Lac Alaotra; the region was proposed as a protected area. At the beginning of 2012 , S. durrelli was not yet listed in the database of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) .
supporting documents
- ↑ Biodiversity: Predator species discovered in Madagascar. Die Zeit, October 12, 2010
- ↑ a b c Durbin et al., 2010, p. 342
- ↑ a b c d e f Durbin et al., 2010, p. 348
- ↑ a b c d e f Durbin et al., 2010, p. 346
- ↑ Durbin et al., 2010, p. 344
- ↑ a b c Durbin et al., 2010, p. 347
- ↑ a b c Durbin et al., 2010, p. 349
- ↑ a b Durbin et al., 2010, p. 345
- ↑ Durbin et al., 2010, p. 350
- ↑ Durbin et al., 2010, p. 341
- ^ From Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , I. 1839. Notice sur deux nouveaux genres de mammifères carnassiers, les Ichneumies , du continent African, et les Galidies , de Madagascar . Magasin de Zoologie (2) 1: 1-39 .; cf. * Garbutt, N. 2007. Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide. A&C Black; Pp. 219-220. ISBN 978-0-7136-7043-1
- ↑ Durbin et al., 2010, pp. 345-346
- ↑ Durbin et al., 2010, pp. 351-352
- ^ A b Anne D. Yoder, Melissa M. Burns, Sarah Zehr, Thomas Delefosse, Geraldine Veron, Steven M. Goodman and John J. Flynn: Single origin of Malagasy Carnivora from an African ancestor. In: Nature 421 (2003), pp. 734-737. PDF
- ↑ a b c Durbin et al., 2010, p. 352
- ^ BirdLife International: Species factsheet: Tachybaptus rufolavatus. BirdLife International website. Downloaded on August 3, 2010.
literature
- Joanna Durbin, Stephan M. Funk, Frank Hawkins, Daphne M. Hills, Paulina D. Jenkins, Clive B. Moncrieff, Fidimalala Bruno Ralainasolo: Investigations into the status of a new taxon of Salanoia (Mammalia: Carnivora: Eupleridae) from the marshes of Lac Alaotra, Madagascar. In: Systematics and Biodiversity. Vol. 8, No. 3, 2010: pp. 341-355, doi: 10.1080 / 14772001003756751 .
Web links
- V. Gill: New carnivorous mammal species found in Madagascar . BBC News, 2010. Accessed October 16, 2010.
- Biodiversity: A species of predator discovered in Madagascar. Die Zeit, October 12, 2010
