Nuevos datos sobre la distribución y hábitat usados por el meloncillo en la península ibérica: ¿Es más común y generalista de hábitat de lo que se conocía?

Abstract

The Egyptian mongoose is the only mongoose in Europe with well established population since ancient times, and it is only found in the Iberian Peninsula. The objectives of this study are to collect the existing information on confirmed presence of Egyptian mongoose in the Iberian Peninsula, and provide new information on its presence, and habitats where it has been found in recent years. The existing information on its presence in 10x10 km UTM grids was collected, and the data obtained during systematic sampling in several provinces, as well as others obtained opportunistically by the authors, were also included. In each new place where signs of mongooses were found, the habitat was noted. Mongooses have been detected in 30 new grids, which together with the existing information makes a total of 1,771 grids with confirmed presence of the species. Most of the new places correspond to extensive agricultural areas of olive grove or cereal, pastures, marshland or are streams with linear and sparse vegetation. The mongoose seems to have expanded its range during the last decades in the Iberian Peninsula, which, besides to a probable lack of information, may be due to 1) the increase in the Mediterranean scrubland because to the abandonment of traditional agricultural or livestock areas, and 2) a relaxation in habitat use, perhaps promoted by the reduction of direct persecution, which seems to be allowing it to colonize open areas of vegetation, where until now it had not been cited.