Galidia Research Articles

Thin corridors limit wildlife: Variance of tropical carnivore distribution and habitat use in a critical rainforest corridor

AbstractMadagascar is acclaimed for its floral and faunal endemism and biodiversity. Among the island nation's most emblematic fauna are its native mammalian carnivores; they are members of the threatened and endemic Eupleridae family. The Corridor of Marojejy, Anjanaharibe‐Sud Special Reserve, Tsaratanana (COMATSA) is a newly protected corridor system that faces deforestation and lacks detailed assessments of its native carnivore community. We deployed 44 motion‐activated trail cameras to identify which terrestrial carnivores are found within the rainforest corridor landscape of COMATSA‐Sud and Marojejy National Park, and to examine carnivore occupancy, relative activity and the impacts of habitat edge. Our sampling array operated from October 20, 2021, to February 10, 2022 (113 days) and confirmed the presence of four species in Eupleridae: Cryptoprocta ferox, Fossa fossana, Galidia elegans, and Galidictis fasciata, as well as a non‐native carnivore species: Canis familiaris. We show that carnivore occurrences significantly increase with distance to forest edges. We discuss the negative impacts of forest loss on native carnivores and highlight the threats posed by the non‐native carnivore C. familiaris. Our findings spotlight faunal detections across the corridor and indicate that fewer native carnivores are found in the corridor compared to nearby protected areas, suggesting that deforestation correlates with a skewed distribution of carnivore detections. Based on our data, we provide management recommendations for the protection of the forest corridor and its endemic faunal community.

Description of a new species of Haemaphysalis Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) from the H. (Rhipistoma) asiatica subgroup, parasite of an endemic Malagasy carnivoran (Carnivora: Eupleridae).

Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) galidiae n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) is described herein based on males and a single female. Adults of H. galidiae n. sp. were collected from the ring-tailed vontsira, Galidia elegans Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (Carnivora: Eupleridae) on Madagascar. Males and the single female of this new species morphologically are most close to H. obtusa Dönitz, 1910, known from various Malagasy euplerid carnivorans, including G. elegans, as well as introduced carnivorans, but can be differentiated from it by the shape of the female genital aperture, shape of posterolateral margin of palpal segment II ventrally in both male and female and shape and size of spurs on palpal segment II, coxa I and trochanter I in both sexes.

Assessment of the threatened carnivore community in the recently expanded rainforest protected area Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve, Madagascar

Madagascar is an island nation renowned for its biodiversity and species endemism, yet it is still largely understudied despite intense anthropogenic threats including forest loss and edge effects. Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve is a recently expanded rainforest protected area that is lacking detailed surveys and assessments of the native carnivore community of the endemic family Eupleridae. To identify which terrestrial carnivores occupy the reserve and what anthropogenic disturbances and factors best explain their occurrence patterns, we deployed 35 motion-activated cameras to detect native and introduced carnivores. From November 2018 to February 2019, we collected 2918 unique capture events (all species) and confirmed the presence of 5 euplerids: Galidia elegans, Galidictis fasciata, Eupleres goudotii, Fossa fossana, and Cryptoprocta ferox. These results extend the known range of E. goudotii and G. fasciata. In the reserve, F. fossana and G. elegans were the most common and widespread native carnivores, while E. goudotii was the rarest. We highlight the negative impact of edge effects on G. fasciata and F. fossana and the threat posed by the free-ranging non-native carnivore C. familiaris. This study represents the first detailed survey and occurrence estimates of the carnivore community of this protected area, allowing comparison with other protected areas in Madagascar. Our empirical findings show that anthropogenic disturbance negatively impacts carnivore existence within the Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve and provide important management recommendations for protecting the carnivore community and the co-occurring wildlife living within this area.

Distributional shifts in a biodiversity hotspot

Identifying ongoing changes in the distributions of species is critical for understanding and conserving biological diversity. Distributional shifts have been demonstrated in many ecosystems and taxa, yet the extent and nature of these changes remain largely undocumented for tropical forest mammals. Shifts over short time periods can be particularly alarming in areas of the world where mammals are already under threat as a result of human activities. This is the case for Madagascar, an island where deforestation, hunting, invasive species, and other human threats have resulted in the extinction of several endemic species. Here, we ask, are the distributions of Malagasy mammals changing? We test this by modeling local colonization and extinction dynamics, which are the biological processes that produce distributional shifts. We use camera trap data from the TEAM Network for four species along a 570 m elevational gradient in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. The endemic Eastern red forest rat (Nesomys rufus) declined in overall occupancy while the non-native bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus) increased in occupancy overall. The two endemic carnivore species shifted their elevational use: the Malagasy ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans) retracted from higher elevations and the Malagasy civet (Fossa fossana) moved to higher elevations, likely in response to anthropogenic pressures. These results show that shifts are occurring and we can detect them with just six years of data. These results appear near unique in documenting rapid changes in the spatial distributions of tropical forest mammals and provide important information for conservation.

New insights into the systematics of Malagasy mongoose-like carnivorans (Carnivora, Eupleridae, Galidiinae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences

The Malagasy carnivorans (Eupleridae) comprise seven genera and up to ten species, depending on the authority, and, within the past decades, two new taxa have been described. The family is divided into two subfamilies, the Galidiinae, mongoose-like animals, and the Euplerinae, with diverse body forms. To verify the taxonomic status of Galidiinae species, including recently described taxa, as well as some recognized subspecies, we studied intrageneric genetic variation and structure, using both mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Our results suggest the recognition of four species in the Galidiinae, rendering each genus monospecific. We propose to recognize three subspecies in Galidia elegans (G. e. dambrensis, G. e. elegans, and G. e. occidentalis), two subspecies in Mungotictis decemlineata (M. d. decemlineata and M. d. lineata), and two subspecies in Galidictis fasciata (G. f. fasciata and G. f. grandidieri, the latter was recently described as a distinct species). Our results indicate also that Salanoia durrelli should be treated as a junior synonym of Salanoia concolor. Low levels of intraspecific divergence revealed some geographical structure for the Galidiinae taxa, suggesting that environmental barriers have isolated certain populations in recent geological time. All taxa, whether at the species or subspecies level, need urgent conservation attention, particularly those with limited geographical distributions, as all are threatened by forest habitat degradation.

Threats to a rainforest carnivore community: A multi-year assessment of occupancy and co-occurrence in Madagascar

Protected areas (PA) aim to eliminate many of the threats that species face on the greater landscape. In the last three decades, PA's have expanded considerably; however, quantitative assessments of how well they have mitigated threats to habitat and biodiversity are very limited. Habitat bordering PA's and the wildlife that use it are threatened by a wide-range of anthropogenic pressures (e.g., edge effects, fragmentation, and introduced predators) and this situation is particularly acute for low-density, poorly studied carnivore communities. From 2010 to 2015, we photographically sampled within (contiguous forest) and bordering (degraded, fragmented forest) a UNESCO World Heritage rainforest PA in Madagascar - Ranomafana National Park (RNP). We investigated the effects of invasive predators, local people presence, and habitat quality on the endemic rainforest carnivore community using static, dynamic, and co-occurrence models. We found native carnivores to be absent or have a low probability of occurrence in degraded forest bordering the PA, while local people and dogs (Canis familiaris) had high occurrence. Madagascar's largest endemic carnivore, the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox) and the much smaller ring-tailed vontsira (Galidia elegans), occurrence in RNP declined rapidly over six years; their strong co-occurrence with dogs suggests interspecific competition, direct aggression/mortality, or disease as the cause. We highlight the dangers posed to biodiversity, particularly carnivores, from anthropogenic pressures bordering PA's and present recommendations to address increased human and dog activity, including programs to control dogs and their impact on biodiversity.

The times they are a changin': Multi-year surveys reveal exotics replace native carnivores at a Madagascar rainforest site

Surveys across multiple seasons or years are necessary to evaluate the effects of dynamic processes on long-term persistence of wildlife populations, such as effects of exotic species on native species populations. Unfortunately, multi-year surveys are rare, particularly for rainforest carnivore populations, and managers often rely on single-season/year, ‘snapshot’ surveys that produce static estimates of population parameters. Here we provide results using single-species, multi-year occupancy modeling from a six-year survey (2008–2013) of a rainforest carnivore community at a 15km2 area study site within the newly established Makira Natural Park, Madagascar. We demonstrate a precipitous decline in the native carnivore community with four of the six native carnivores (falanouc Eupleres goudotii, ring-tailed vontsira Galidia elegans, broad-striped vontsira Galidictis fasciata, and brown-tailed vontsira Salanoia concolor) decreasing by at least 60% over this six-year period. In addition, we observed two exotic carnivores (small Indian civet Viverricula indica and feral cat Felis species) colonize this study site with Felis species increasing in occupancy from 0 to 0.68 by the final year. Further, we demonstrate how variables associated with human encroachment (i.e. distance to forest edge and nearest village) are most important for explaining these trends in native carnivore extirpation and exotic carnivore colonization. These findings provide additional evidence on the threat posed to native carnivore populations by the expansion of exotic carnivores worldwide. We highlight the striking increase in extirpation, and the factors influencing such changes, for native carnivores. In this manuscript, we point to the limited number of multi-year surveys to evaluate dynamic processes on long-term persistence of native wildlife populations, as well as the lack of exotic carnivore control programs in threatened ecosystems in many developing nations as factors limiting our ability to effectively conserve biodiversity across the globe.

Hunting, Exotic Carnivores, and Habitat Loss: Anthropogenic Effects on a Native Carnivore Community, Madagascar.

The wide-ranging, cumulative, negative effects of anthropogenic disturbance, including habitat degradation, exotic species, and hunting, on native wildlife has been well documented across a range of habitats worldwide with carnivores potentially being the most vulnerable due to their more extinction prone characteristics. Investigating the effects of anthropogenic pressures on sympatric carnivores is needed to improve our ability to develop targeted, effective management plans for carnivore conservation worldwide. Utilizing photographic, line-transect, and habitat sampling, as well as landscape analyses and village-based bushmeat hunting surveys, we provide the first investigation of how multiple forms of habitat degradation (fragmentation, exotic carnivores, human encroachment, and hunting) affect carnivore occupancy across Madagascar’s largest protected area: the Masoala-Makira landscape. We found that as degradation increased, native carnivore occupancy and encounter rates decreased while exotic carnivore occupancy and encounter rates increased. Feral cats (Felis species) and domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) had higher occupancy than half of the native carnivore species across Madagascar’s largest protected landscape. Bird and small mammal encounter rates were negatively associated with exotic carnivore occupancy, but positively associated with the occupancy of four native carnivore species. Spotted fanaloka (Fossa fossana) occupancy was constrained by the presence of exotic feral cats and exotic small Indian civet (Viverricula indica). Hunting was intense across the four study sites where hunting was studied, with the highest rates for the small Indian civet ( individuals consumed/year), the ring-tailed vontsira (Galidia elegans) ( consumed/year), and the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox) ( consumed/year). Our modeling results suggest hunters target intact forest where carnivore occupancy, abundance, and species richness, are highest. These various anthropogenic pressures and their effects on carnivore populations, especially increases in exotic carnivores and hunting, have wide-ranging, global implications and demand effective management plans to target the influx of exotic carnivores and unsustainable hunting that is affecting carnivore populations across Madagascar and worldwide.

When carnivores roam: temporal patterns and overlap among Madagascar's native and exotic carnivores

AbstractMadagascar's Eupleridae carnivores are perhaps the least studied and most threatened family of Carnivora. Investigating potential direct and indirect competition among these native species and sympatric exotic carnivores is necessary to better direct conservation actions. From 2008 to 2013, we photographically surveyed a diverse rainforest landscape, comparing six native and three exotic carnivores' activity patterns throughout the diel cycle. We used hierarchical Bayesian Poisson analysis to describe the activity patterns of Madagascar's carnivore community, assessed effects of season and site on temporal activity patterns, and estimated coefficients of overlap between carnivore pairings to assess effects of body size and ecological niche on temporal overlap among native and exotic carnivores. We observed changes in temporal activity patterns across seasons particularly during the austral summer (hot–dry season) for four native and two exotic carnivores, including evidence of fossa Cryptoprocta ferox altering their temporal activity during their mating season (hot–dry season). We found evidence of high overlap between natives and exotics indicating the potential for increased interactions and competition. The greatest overlap in temporal activity occurred between both ring‐tail Galidia elegans and brown‐tail vontsira Salanoia concolor and exotic dogs Canis familiaris. Cr. ferox, falanouc Eupleres goudotii and spotted fanaloka Fossa fossana also overlapped in activity with the nocturnal, exotic Indian civet Viverricula indica. Cr. ferox avoided humans and Ca. familiaris across all seasons. Unexpectedly, carnivore body size and ecological niche were not important predictors of temporal overlap. Previous research has shown these native and exotic carnivores overlap spatially and these new findings of temporal overlap among native and exotic carnivores add urgency to the need to manage exotic carnivores across Madagascar.

Assessing carnivore distribution from local knowledge across a human‐dominated landscape in central‐southeastern Madagascar

AbstractCarnivores are often sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation, both of which are widespread in Madagascar. Clearing of forests has led to a dramatic increase in highly disturbed, open vegetation communities dominated by humans. In Madagascar's increasingly disturbed landscape, long‐term persistence of native carnivores may be tied to their ability to occupy or traverse these disturbed areas. However, how Malagasy carnivores are distributed in this landscape and how they interact with humans are unknown, as past research has concentrated on populations within continuous and fragmented forests. We investigated local ecological knowledge of carnivores using semi‐structured interviews in communities 0 to 20 km from the western edge of continuous rainforest in central‐southeastern Madagascar. Responses from 182 interviews in 17 different communities indicated distinct distribution patterns for two native and two exotic carnivore species, suggesting a range of tolerances to the human‐dominated landscape. The largest extant native carnivore, the fossa Cryptoprocta ferox, does not persist in much of this landscape; they were only observed in communities < 5 km from the continuous forest within the last five years. In contrast, the ring‐tailed mongoose Galidia elegans was observed by most communities (82%), but was observed by a higher proportion of interviewees from communities in close proximity to continuous forest. The exotic small Indian civet Viverricula indica was ubiquitous, while the exotic/feral cat (Felis sp.) was observed by a higher proportion of interviewees in communities farther from continuous forest. Over 20% of interviewees had experienced loss of poultry to wild carnivores in the last year and negative perceptions of carnivores were common. We found the human‐dominated landscape to provide little conservation value to native carnivores, emphasizing the need for adequate protected areas and increased engagement of local communities to sustain Madagascar's carnivore species. This information is critical to multitaxon conservation planning in Madagascar.

Activity patterns of carnivores in the rain forests of Madagascar: implications for species coexistence

Abstract Temporal partitioning of activity among sympatric species can be an important mechanism for species coexistence. Further, if exotic and native species overlap temporally, there is potential for direct competition and antagonism, which may lead to native species extirpation. We 1st assessed if ecologically similar native carnivores of Madagascar demonstrated activity pattern overlap and then explored whether overlap in activity might lead to negative impacts of exotic carnivores on native carnivores. We used photographic sampling to quantify the temporal activity patterns of carnivores at 4 study sites. The activity of the 2 smaller-bodied native species, Galidia elegans and Galidictis fasciata, overlapped minimally; these 2 carnivores share a similar generalist diet, which may drive their divergent temporal activity. In contrast, the medium-sized native species, Fossa fossana and Eupleres goudotii, were both highly nocturnal; these 2 species appear segregated in their diets. The largest native ca...

The impact of forest logging and fragmentation on the species richness and density of Malagasy rainforest carnivores

AbstractDespite significant efforts to understand and conserve Madagascar’s unique biodiversity, relatively little is known about the island’s carnivore populations. We sampled four rainforest sites to explore the effects of forest logging and fragmentation on carnivore species richness and the density of the two largest endemic carnivores, the Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) and Malagasy Civet (Fossa fossana). Our rainforest sites were selected across a gradient of increasing anthropogenic disturbance from primary to selectively-logged to fragmented forest < 2.5 km from primary forest, to fragmented forest > 20 km from primary forest. We deployed a minimum of 26 passive infrared camera stations at each forest site to non-invasively sample carnivores. By identifying C. ferox and F. fossana individuals based on unique pelage patterns, we were able to apply capture-recapture analyses using the Huggins model in Program MARK and Program DENSITY. We used a buffer of full mean-maximum-distance-moved (MMDM) and a spatially-explicit capture-recapture (SECR) method to estimate density. A total of 5,579 camera-trap nights yielded detections of five endemic carnivores (C. ferox, F. fossana, ring-tailed mongoose Galidia elegans, broad-striped mongoose Galidictus fasciata, small-toothed civet Eupleres goudotii). We found variation in carnivore species richness among the four sites. All endemic carnivores were present in the primary and selectively-logged rainforest, while overall endemic species richness was greatly reduced in the fragmented forests. Density also varied significantly among the rainforest sites. F. fossana density (individuals/km-2 ± SE) decreased significantly between the primary rainforest (SECR 3.19 ±0.55, MMDM 2.47 ±0.13) and selectively-logged rainforest (SECR 1.38 ± 0.223, MMDM 1.22 ± 0.055). F. fossana was absent from both fragmented sites. C. ferox density also decreased significantly between the primary rainforest (SECR 0.12 ± 0.05, MMDM 0.14 ± 0.001) and the selectively-logged rainforest (SECR 0.09 ±0.04, MMDM 0.09 ±0.002). C. ferox was absent from the fragmented rainforest > 20 km from primary forest, yet we did detect a single individual at the fragmented rainforest < 2.5 km from the primary forest. Our results suggest that forest logging and fragmentation negatively impact C. ferox and F. fossana populations in Malagasy rainforests. Unlike F. fossana, C. ferox appears to be able to occupy rainforest fragments near primary forest. Our study provides the first assessment of carnivore population parameters in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar and will be of importance to Malagasy governmental and non-governmental agencies seeking to more accurately assess the status of these species and to best set management goals.

An assessment of carnivore relative abundance and density in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar using remotely-triggered camera traps

AbstractDespite major efforts to understand and conserve Madagascar’s unique biodiversity, relatively little is known about the island’s carnivore populations. We therefore deployed 43 camera-trap stations in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar during June–August 2007 to evaluate the efficacy of this method for studying Malagasy carnivores and to estimate the relative abundance and density of carnivores in the eastern rainforest. A total of 755 camera-trap nights provided 1,605 photographs of four endemic carnivore species (fossaCryptoprocta ferox, Malagasy civetFossa fossana, ring-tailed mongooseGalidia elegansand broad-striped mongooseGalidictus fasciata), the exotic Indian civetViverricula indicaand the domestic dogCanis familiaris.We identified 38 individualF. fossanaand 10 individualC. ferox. We estimated density using both capture-recapture analyses, with a buffer of full mean-maximum-distance-moved, and a spatially-explicit maximum-likelihood method (F. fossana: 3.03 and 2.23 km-2, respectively;C. ferox: 0.15 and 0.17 km-2, respectively). Our estimated densities ofC. feroxin rainforest are lower than published estimates for conspecifics in the western dry forests. Within Ranomafana National Park species richness of native carnivores did not vary among trail systems located in secondary, selectively-logged and undisturbed forest. These results provide the first assessment of carnivore population parameters using camera-traps in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar.

The Subfossil Occurrence and Paleoecological Significance of Small Mammals at Ankilitelo Cave, Southwestern Madagascar

Small mammals are rarely reported from subfossil sites in Madagascar despite their importance for paleoenvironmental reconstruction, especially as it relates to recent ecological changes on the island. We describe the uniquely rich subfossil small mammal fauna from Ankilitelo Cave, southwestern Madagascar. The Ankilitelo fauna is dated to the late Holocene (,500 years ago), documenting the youngest appearances of the extinct giant lemur taxa Palaeopropithecus, Megaladapis, and Archaeolemur, in association with abundant remains of small vertebrates, including bats, tenrecs, carnivorans, rodents, and primates. The Ankilitelo fauna is composed of 34 mammalian species, making it one of the most diverse Holocene assemblages in Madagascar. The fauna comprises the 1st report of the short-tailed shrew tenrec (Microgale brevicaudata) and the ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans) in southwestern Madagascar. Further, Ankilitelo documents the presenc eo f southwestern species that are rare or that have greatly restricted ranges today, such as Nasolo’s shrew tenrec (M. nasoloi), Grandidier’s mongoose (Galidictis grandidieri), the narrow-striped mongoose (Mungotictis decemlineata), and the giant jumping rat (Hypogeomys antimena). A simple cause for the unusual small mammal occurrences at Ankilitelo is not obvious. Synergistic interactions between climate change, recent fragmentation and human-initiated degradation of forested habitats, and community-level processes, such as predation, most likely explain the disjunct distributions of the small mammals documented at Ankilitelo.

Phylogeography of the Malagasy ring-tailed mongoose, Galidia elegans, from mtDNA sequence analysis

The ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans) represents one of the most widely distributed mongooses in Madagascar; however, we know little about the ecology of this seemingly ubiquitous species. Currently, G. elegans is divided into three recognized subspecies—G. e. elegans, G. e. dambrensis, and G. e. occidentalis—based on differences in pelage coloration between the distinct geographic locations. We used intraspecific DNA variation to describe the phylogenetic relationships among the described subspecies. Approximately 550 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA control region were analyzed from 19 G. elegans specimens representing all three subspecies sampled from across the species' geographic range. Sequence data from outgroup taxa were included for comparison. Examination of the recovered sequences revealed a strongly supported distinct genetic signature in the western region of the island, but remained inconclusive with respect to supporting the designation of the northern and eastern ‘subspecies’ for treatment as divergent intraspecific units for management.

Revision of the Genus <I>Andreacarus</I> (Acari: Laelapidae) with Description of Seven New Species and a New Genus for Australian Species Formerly Placed in <I>Andreacarus</I>

The mesostigmatid genus Andreacarus Radford, 1953 (Acari: Laelapidae), species of which are obligatory parasites of small mammals, is revised. Andreacarus includes 11 species, four species previously recognized and seven new species described from Madagascar hosts: A. brachyuromys sp. n. from Brachyuromys betsileoensis Bartlett, A. eliurus sp. n. from Eliurus species, A. gymnuromys sp. n. from Gymnuromys roberti Major, A. voalavo sp. n. from Voalavo gymnocaudus Carleton & Goodman, A. nesomys sp. n. from Nesomys rufus Peters-all from nesomyid rodents; A. tenrec sp. n. from Tenrec ecaudatus Schreber (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae); and A. galidia from Galidia elegans I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (Carnivora: Viverridae). An amended generic diagnosis and key to females are also given. Six species described in Andreacarus from Australian and New Guinean hosts are removed and transferred to the new genus, Juxtalaelaps.

Revision of the GenusAndreacarus(Acari: Laelapidae) with Description of Seven New Species and a New Genus for Australian Species Formerly Placed inAndreacarus

The mesostigmatid genus Andreacarus (Acari: Laelapidae), species of which are obligatory parasites of small mammals, is revised. Andreacarus includes 11 species, four species previously recognized and seven new species described from Madagascar hosts: A. brachyuromys sp. n. from Brachyuromys betsileoensis Bartlett, A. eliurus sp. n. from Eliurus species, A. gymnuromys sp. n. from Gymnuromys roberti Major, A. voalavo sp. n. from Voalavo gymnocaudus Carleton & Goodman, A. nesomys sp. n. from Nesomys rufus Peters—all from nesomyid rodents; A. tenrec sp. n. from Tenrec ecaudatus Schreber (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae); and A. galidia from Galidia elegans I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (Carnivora: Viverridae). An amended generic diagnosis and key to females are also given. Six species described in Andreacarus from Australian and New Guinean hosts are removed and transferred to the new genus, Juxtalaelaps.

Chromosomal evolution in the Malagasy Carnivora

Comparison of the karyoptypes of <i>Cryptoprocta ferox Fossa fossana, Galidia elegans elegans, G</i>. <i>e</i>. <i>dambrensis </i>and <i>Mungotictis decemlineata </i>permitted the reconstruction of an ancestral Malagasy Carnivora karyotype. This was compared with the ancestral karyotype of non-Malagasy Carnivora, which allowed us to speculate on the phylogeny of Malagasy and non-Malagasy Carnivora. Assuming that Africa and Madagascar separated during the Jurassic or Cretaceous, the hypothesis of a polyphyletic origin of the Malagasy Carnivora still appears tenable, but the hypothesis that the Carnivora emerged before the isolation of Madagascar agrees better with our cytogenetic results.

Reproduction in the Ring‐tailed mongoose

International Zoo YearbookVolume 19, Issue 1 p. 188-193 Reproduction in the Ring-tailed mongoose Galidia efegans:at the National Zoological Park, Washington PATRICIA LARKIN, PATRICIA LARKIN Office of Animal Management, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USASearch for more papers by this authorMILES ROBERTS, MILES ROBERTS Office of Animal Management, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USASearch for more papers by this author PATRICIA LARKIN, PATRICIA LARKIN Office of Animal Management, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USASearch for more papers by this authorMILES ROBERTS, MILES ROBERTS Office of Animal Management, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: January 1979 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-1090.1979.tb00561.xCitations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume19, Issue1January 1979Pages 188-193 RelatedInformation

Notes éthologiques sur quelques Carnivores malgaches : le Mungotictis lineata Pocock

Mungotictis lineata occupies, with Galidia elegans, a similar ecological niche in Madagascar to the mongooses in Africa and Asia ; the species even uses the same technique as mongooses for breaking-open eggs. M. lineata, which greatly resembles the asiatic Herpestes javanicus, is very unevenly distributed in deciduous forests on sandy soil in the West of Madagascar. Like G. elegans, the species lives in pairs and produces only one young per year.