Abstract
Restricted to India and Sri Lanka in its distribution, the Rusty-spotted Cat <I>Prionailurus rubiginosus</I> is the smallest felid in the world. The present distribution of this species in India is to a large extent not thoroughly documented and is based on opportunistic sightings and reports. To date, the northernmost confirmed record of this cat is from Sariska and Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. In this communication, we present evidence of this species from further south at Ramgarh-Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary from the state of Rajasthan.
Highlights
First record of Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) from RamgarhVishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary in semi-arid landscape of Rajasthan, India
The Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is the world’s smallest cat, found only in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It occurs in moist and dry deciduous forest types as well as in scrub and grassland
The Rusty-spotted Cat is listed as a Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 of India and is classified as ‘Near Threatened’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Summary
TheJournalofThreafetnedTaxafsi dedfciafetdftobuflidfingevfidenceforconservafiongloballybypublfsihfingpeer-revfei wed arfcilesonlfineeverymonfthaftareasonablyrapfidrafet aftwww.fthreafetnedfatxa.org.AllarfcilespublfsihedfinJoTTare regfsifetredunderCreafvieCommonsAfrtfibufion4.0InfetrnafionalLfciense unlessoftherwfsie menfioned.JoTTallows unresfrtfcifetduseofarfcilesfinanymedfium,reproducfion,anddfsifrtfibufionbyprovfidfingadequafet credffitftoftheaufthors andfthesourceofpublfciafion. Past studies and historic records have shown that the Rusty-spotted Cat ranges from Tamil Nadu in the south to Jammu & Kashmir in north, through Madhya Pradesh in central India to Gujarat in the west and Odisha in the east (Chakraborty 1978; Digveerendrasinh 1995; Patel 2006; Acharjyo et al 1997; Mali et al 2015). We report a recent record of this species, based on a roadkill and photographic evidence, from the Ramgarh-Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary, just south of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, in Rajasthan, India.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
