Small Indian Mongoose Herpestes Javanicus Research Articles

Is the Martinique ground snake Erythrolamprus cursor extinct?

AbstractThe Caribbean Islands are a biodiversity hotspot where anthropogenic disturbances have had a significant impact, causing population declines and extinction of endemic species. The ground snake Erythrolamprus cursor is a dipsadid endemic to Martinique; it is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is known only from museum specimens. The snake was common on Martinique during the 18th and 19th centuries but there have been no reliable sightings since 1968, suggesting it may have gone extinct, probably as a result of the introduction of the small Indian mongoose Herpestes javanicus auropunctatus. However, the islet known as Diamond Rock, south-west of Martinique, is mongoose-free and the last reported sighting of E. cursor there was in 1968. The islet was last occupied during the Napoleonic Empire (the early 19th century), is now completely protected, and is difficult to access (it spans 5.8 ha, with a maximum elevation of 175 m). We conducted the first extensive survey of the islet, over 10 days, to clarifty the status of E. cursor. Our study revealed that unique conditions exist on Diamond Rock (i.e. aridity and a distinct potential prey community) and that E. cursor would have had to modify its ecology to persist on the islet. Although the rugged terrain of Diamond Rock makes it difficult to explore, it is probable that E. cursor is now extinct.

Evidence for the presence of a second species of mongoose in the Fiji Islands

The small Indian Mongoose Herpestes javanicus was introduced in the late nineteenth centure into Fiji and is now found throughout the two main islands of Fiji (Viti Levu and Vanua Levu) and on another 11 small outsr islands. When trapping mongoose as part of an investigation into the spread of leptospirosis around Suva, six large red-coloured mongoose were also captured. The body measurements (weight, length and hind-foot size) of these red-coloured mongoose were significantly larger than a random sample of the grey-coloured mongoose H. javanicus normally seen. To clarify whether the red-coloured mongoose was a different species or just a different colour morph of H. javanicus, mitochondrial cytochrome B cytb DNA sequences were determined from muscle tissue of four red-coloured Individuals. Phylogenetic analyses using cytb sequences show that while the red-coloured mongoose belongs to an Asian clade, it is not H. javanicus or H. edwardsi. Further research is needed to determine the identity and origin of the red-coloured mongoose and to ascertain its prevalence in Fiji.

A morphometric trend linked to male sociality in the small Indian mongooseHerpestes javanicus in Hawaii

Introduced populations of the small Indian mongooseHerpestes javanicus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1818), in Hawaii have been shown to include male breeding coalitions. Young individuals of this species stay with their mothers until they reach adult size, suggesting that young males are not exposed to the full pressure of intrasexual competition until they have completed skeletal development. It was hypothesized that variance of male skeletal characteristics should therefore be similar to the variance seen in females. It has been observed that adult males with small body mass are not typically members of breeding coalitions, suggesting that body mass is a key factor in male intraspecific competition. It was thus hypothesized that variance in male mass should exceed that in female mass. These hypotheses were tested by direct measurement of live animals in the field and by measurement of museum specimens. Both hypotheses were strongly supported. A significant correlation was also found between male body length and variance in male mass, but no correlation was found among females. It is suggested that males with low body length, like females, maintain only as much mass as is physiologically required, whereas long males maximize their mass with varying degrees of success, to facilitate intrasexual competition.

Has the invasive mongoose Herpestes javanicus yet reached the island of Taveuni, Fiji?

The Fijian island of Taveuni is being proposed as a potential World Heritage Site because much of its flora and fauna, including many endemic species, remains intact. The greatest threat facing Taveuni's wildlife is a potential incursion by the invasive small Indian mongoose Herpestes javanicus from nearby islands, and anecdotal reports have suggested that the mongoose may already be present. To determine if mongooses were present on Taveuni 40 traps were set in two locations close to the main ports of entry, in typical mongoose habitat. Normally mongooses are easily caught if they are present, but in 204 trap nights none were captured, although eight feral cats and 11 rats were caught. None of the 31 people questioned from around the island had seen the mongoose. A list of seven recommendations is provided for a management strategy to prevent any possible incursion by mongooses and to eradicate any arrivals at the earliest opportunity.

Male social activity in the small Indian mongooseHerpestes javanicus

The mongoose family, Herpestidae, includes several species that comprise the most social small Carnivora. The small Indian mongooseHerpestes javanicus (E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818), a South Asian species that has been introduced to numerous Caribbean and Pacific islands, has not been reported to show complex sociality. A radio-tracking study conducted on Oahu, Hawaii, revealed that a group of at least 5, and perhaps more than 10, large males in the study area shared a single, large home range during the breeding season. Members of this group spent far more time than expected within 20 m of fellow members. Group members frequently shared dens, sleeping within 50 cm of each other. Females maintained very small, overlapping home ranges inside the male group’s range. Male breeding coalitions have previously been reported in a congeneric species, the slender mongooseHerpestes sanguineus.