10.

Ruddy Mongoose

Herpestes smithii

French: Mangouste roussatre / German: Indischer Rotmungo / Spanish: Meloncillo rojo

Taxonomy. Herpestes smithii Gray, 1837,

Bombay (7), India.

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

H. s. smithii Gray, 1837 — India.

H. s. zeylanius Thomas, 1921 — Sri Lanka.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 39-47 cm, tail 35.1-47 cm, hindfoot 8.8-6 cm; weight c. 2: 7 kg. The coat color is brown, with a rufous tinge on the underparts. On Sri Lan-Ka,the tail length varies from 75 to 90% of the head and body, whereas it is 90 to 110% of the head and body in India. The tip of the tail is black. The feet are darker than the body and are webbed up to the last joint. The soles of the hindfeet are naked. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40.

Habitat. Dry forests, dry thorn areas, disturbed forests, and open areas. Recorded up to 2200 m. On Sri Lanka, it appears to be confined mostly to the lowland forests of the dry and intermediate zones.

Food and Feeding. Has been seen feeding on birds (including doves, partridges, and quails), reptiles (rat snake), and the Long-tailed Climbing Mouse (Vandeleuria oleracea).

Activity patterns. Appears to be mainly diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Terrestrial, but sometimes hunts, feeds, and rests in trees. Solitary, but has occasionally been seen in pairs and sometimes in groups of four or five animals. Out of 78 sightings in Rhuna National Park (Sri Lanka), 92% were solitary individuals and 8% were pairs (adult males and females).

Breeding. Nothing known.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix III (India). Classified as Least Concern in The IUCN Red List. This species is hunted and snared. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation may have an impact on populations. Very little is known aboutthis species and field studies and assessments of possible threats are urgently needed.

Bibliography. Christopher & Jayson (1996), Corbet & Hill (1992), Hinton & Dunn (1967), Madhusudan (1995), Mudappa (1998, 2001), Pocock (1916b, 1941a), Prater (1980), Santiapillai et al. (2000), Shekar (2003), Wozencraft (2005), Yoganand & Kumar (1995).