Yellow stripe edging
| Yellow stripe edging | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Moschiola kathygre | ||||||||||||
| Groves & Meijaard , 2005 |
The yellow striped cantschil ( Moschiola kathygre ) is a scarcely researched cloven-hoofed ungulate from the genus of the fleckenkantschile within the family of the deer piglets . It is endemic to Sri Lanka and was not scientifically described until 2005.
features
The head-trunk length is 43 to 51 centimeters, the tail length 1 to 3 centimeters. The weight is unknown. The fur color of the yellow striped Kantschil is much more intense and more ocher brown than that of the Ceylon Kantschil or the Indian Kantschil . Spots and stripes are yellowish and not white. At least two fairly complete longitudinal stripes with an elongated row of spots in between and two rows of spots above can be seen along the flanks. The upper stripe encloses the shoulder and merges with the front horizontal stripes. Above the hip are two broad stripes and a third further below the tail. The hips are more densely spotted than in the Ceylon Kantschil and the crown and nose are less dark. At the bottom there is a sharp contrast between a white central stripe and the rest of the light ocher color. The lower legs of the hind legs are darker than in the Ceylon Kantschil.
Distribution, habitat and way of life
The yellow- striped Kantschil inhabits the wetlands of Sri Lanka from the Sinharaja Forest Reserve , over the lowlands in the area of Colombo north to Katagamuwa to the border of the dry zone at 6 ° 24 'N, 81 ° 25' E and to the highlands in the Kandy district . The habitat are forests and wooded grasslands with lakes and rivers. Apparently, however, the animals also occur in urban bush forests and in the rice terraces. Presumably, the yellow-stripe square is more widespread in the secondary forests than in the primary forest. He has also been observed in rubber plantations and gardens. Nothing is known about his way of life.
status
The IUCN classifies the yellow stripe square as “not endangered” (least concern). The size of its distribution area is estimated at 15,000 km², whereby the area of the available habitat is probably only 1,500 km². On the basis of these estimates, an upgrade to the “vulnerable” category would probably be possible. While the species is often hunted with firearms, there is no evidence that the numbers are steadily falling.
literature
- Groves, CP & Meijaard, E. (2005): Interspecific variation in Moschiola, the Indian chevrotain. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Suppl. 12: p. 413-421. ( PDF, online )