Spotted neck otter

Spotted neck otter
	Spot-necked otter ( Hydrictis maculicollis )
Systematics
Subordination :	Canine (Caniformia)
Superfamily :	Marten relatives (Musteloidea)
Family :	Marten (Mustelidae)
Subfamily :	Otter (Lutrinae)
Genre :	Hydrictis
Type :	Spotted neck otter
Scientific name of the genus
	Hydrictis
	Pocock , 1921
Scientific name of the species
	Hydrictis maculicollis
	( Lichtenstein , 1835)

The spotted neck otter ( Hydrictis maculicollis , Syn .: Lutra maculicollis ) is the only species of the monotypic genus Hydrictis within the otter . It is common in large parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

features

skull

The spotted neck otter reaches a total length of about 44 to 68 centimeters and a tail length of 13.5 to 19.0 centimeters. The weight is around 3 to 5 kilograms.

The body is slender and long with a long, dorsoventrally flattened tail. The head is large with a wide neck and tapers into a wide and short muzzle. The fur varies from chocolate to reddish brown and is largely unmarked. The throat and neck have white to cream-colored spots that are rarely missing. The spots can be very different individually. Albinos and partial albinos occur rarely .

distribution

Distribution area of the spotted neck otter

The spotted neck otter is common in large parts of Africa south of the Sahara . Its distribution area extends from Guinea-Bissau in West Africa to southwest Ethiopia and south in the west to the northern border of Namibia , northwestern Botswana and Zimbabwe and in the east via Kenya and Tanzania , Malawi and parts of Mozambique to the east of South Africa .

Systematics

The spotted neck otter is the only species of the monotypic genus Hydrictis within the otter . However, it is still classified by numerous authors in the genus of the old world otter ( Lutra ), which would become paraphyletic .

The Indian otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata ) is regarded as a sister species of the spotted neck otter .

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b Serge Larivière: Lutra maculicollis . In: Mammalian Species . tape 712 , 2002, pp. 1–6 ( full text (PDF; 472 kB)).

↑ Hydrictis maculicollis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008 Posted by: M. Hoffmann, 2008. Accessed December 29, 2011th

↑ ^a ^b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Hydrictis maculicollis ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed). @1@ 2

literature

Serge Larivière: Lutra maculicollis . In: Mammalian Species . tape 712 , 2002, pp. 1–6 ( full text (PDF; 472 kB)).

Web links

Commons : Fleckenhalsotter - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Hydrictis maculicollis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008 Posted by: M. Hoffmann, 2008. Accessed December 29, 2011th

[Larivière-1] Serge Larivière: Lutra maculicollis . In: Mammalian Species . tape 712 , 2002, pp. 1–6 ( full text (PDF; 472 kB)).

[IUCN-2] Hydrictis maculicollis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008 Posted by: M. Hoffmann, 2008. Accessed December 29, 2011th