Southern patch skunk
| Southern patch skunk | ||||||||||||
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| Spilogals angustifrons | ||||||||||||
| Howell , 1902 |
The Southern Fleckenskunk ( Spilogale angustifrons ) is a predator in the genus Fleckenskunks ( Spilogale ) that occurs from central Mexico south to Costa Rica in Central America.
features
The southern Fleckenskunk reaches a head-torso length of 21 to 25 centimeters, to which a 10 to 14.5 centimeter long bushy tail comes, the females are usually somewhat smaller than the males. The weight is 240 to 533 grams. Like other spotted skunks, the fur color consists of a black fur with white spots and stripes, which is typical of the species and at the same time variable. They have a white spot between the eyes and six partially blotchy stripes along the back and sides of the body. The central stripes run down the middle of the back to the abdomen, where they branch and run down the hips. The second pair, coming from the ears, runs parallel to the central stripes and the third pair runs from the forelegs along the sides of the body and meets the downward stripes on the hip, into which it partially merges. The tip of the tail and the rear third of the bushy tail is colored white. The animals each have five toes with long claws on their feet.
| 3 | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 1 | = 34 |
| 3 | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 2 |
The skull is small and narrow with a strongly curved skull. The snout region is also very narrow. The Skunk has three in the upper jaw half per cutting teeth (incisors), a canine , three Vorbackenzähne (Praemolares) and a molar tooth (molar). In the lower jaw it has an additional molar per half. The animals have a total of 34 teeth.
distribution
The range of the species stretches from central Mexico to Costa Rica and includes the countries Belize , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras and Nicaragua .
The nominated form Spilogale angustifrons angustifrons occurs in central Mexico in the area of Mexico City and Michoacán . Spilogale angustifrons celeris lives from the highlands of Nicaragua to southern Costa Rica, Spilogale angustifrons elata from the highlands in southeast Mexico in Chiapas via Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, Spilogale angustifrons tropicalis from southern Mexico in Puebla , Morelos and Guerrero via Oaxaca to El Salvador Spilogale angustifrons yucatanensis on the Yucatán Peninsula as far as Belize and northern Guatemala.
Way of life
This Skunk can be found mostly in the mountains up to an altitude of 2800 meters. Stony mountain areas with scrub and sparse tree vegetation, scrubland and rocky regions are selected as habitat , but the species is also found in rainforest areas with dense vegetation, in pine forests, in grasslands and on agricultural areas. The animals' activity space is estimated to be around 64 hectares. In areas where the Skunk occurs regularly, it has a population density of five to eight individuals per square kilometer. The structures of the animals are built between tree roots, under stones and in hollow tree trunks, and they also use abandoned structures of armadillos and other mammals.
This Skunk is primarily nocturnal and mostly hangs out on the ground, but can climb well if necessary. It feeds omnivorously on insects , smaller vertebrates , bird eggs, fruits and other parts of plants, with invertebrates making up about half of the diet. Like all other Skunks, the species has stink glands on its abdomen, in which defensive secretions are produced to ward off potential attackers.
No data are available on the reproduction of the species and the breeding time is also unknown.
Systematics
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Phylogenetic systematics of the Skunks
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The Southern Fleckenskunk is classified as an independent species within the genus of the Fleckenskunks ( Spilogale ), which consists of four species. The first scientific description comes from Alfred Brazier Howell in 1902 based on an individual from Tlalpan , which today represents a district of Mexico City . At times the species was regarded as a subspecies of the Eastern Fleckenskunk ( Spilogale putorius ), but is now regarded as a separate species based on genomic differences.
Within the Fleckenskunk, the Southern Fleckenskunk is the sister species of the Eastern Fleckenskunk. The closest related species of these two species has not been conclusively clarified; both the dwarf Fleckenskunk and the Western Fleckenskunk come into question. The spotted skunks in their entirety represent the sister group of the striped skunks ( Mephitis ). Within the spotted skunks, radiation to the four species known today took place about 3 million years ago, making this genus the youngest within the skunks.
Today, within the species, the nominate form S. a. angustifrons and with S. a. celeris , S. a. elata , S. a. tropicalis and S. a. yucatanensis differentiated five subspecies.
Hazard and protection
The Southern Fleckenskunk is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as “least concern” due to its relatively large distribution area as well as the assumed population size and the ability to adapt to changed habitats. Threats to the species exist mainly in the form of forest fires, the planting of agricultural monocultures, as well as road construction and vehicle traffic.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k J.W. Dragoo: Southern Spotted Skunk Spilogale angustifrons. In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009; Pp. 561-562. ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 .
- ↑ a b c d e Spilogale angustifrons in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.2. Posted by: Reid, F., Timm, R. & Helgen, K., 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Katrin Nyakatura, Olaf RP Bininda-Emonds: Updating the evolutionary history of Carnivora (Mammalia): a new species-level supertree complete with divergence time estimates. BMC Biology 10, 2012. doi : 10.1186 / 1741-7007-10-12
- ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Spilogale angustifrons in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd edition).
literature
- JW Dragoo: Southern Spotted Skunk Spilogale angustifrons. In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009; Pp. 561-562. ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 .
Web links
- Spilogale angustifrons in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2012.2. Posted by: Reid, F., Timm, R. & Helgen, K., 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- Southern Spotted Skunk on theanimalfiles.com, accessed February 23, 2011.
