Moschiola indica (Gray, 1843)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Tragulidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 320-334 : 329-330

3.

Indian Chevrotain

Moschiola indica

French: Chevrotain indien / German: Indien-Kantschil / Spanish: Ciervo ratén indio

Taxonomy. Meminna indica Gray, 1843 ,

“Eastern Ghats”, India.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Peninsular India and possibly S Nepal.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 55-59 cm, tail 2-5 cm; weight 3 kg. Moschiola species differ from 7 Tragulus , and resemble Hyemoschus in the pattern of the pelage on the flanks and in lacking a large gland between the mandiblesat the front of the lower law.

The Indian Chevrotain is a relatively large chevrotain species, with long hindlegs and broad skull, especially across rostrum. The pelage is dull brown; stripes and spots are a very clear white; the upper row of spots forms a continuous stripe on the shoulder, but disintegrates into spots halfway back along the body, and other longitudinalstripes are broken completely into rows of elongated spots; the three spot-rows across croup and rump are partly fused to stripes; crown and forehead are dark brown; underside pale beige, becoming creamy medially. Dental formulais10/3,C1/1,P 3/3,M 3/3 (x2)= 34.

Habitat. Tropical deciduous and moist evergreen and semi-evergreen forests of the Peninsular Indian hills, plains, and plateaus, but also seen in tall elephant grass Cymbopogon. The species also occurs in montane forests up to around 1850 m elevation. It has been observed that the species often occurs along forest streams and rivers. In the Eastern Ghats it was observed that M. indica was very common, especially around the streams and “nullahs” (intermitent watercourses) which are essential for this species.

Food and Feeding. Very little is known about the ecology and behavior of the Indian Chevrotain, and much of the information is in the form of anecdotal observations and sight records. It seems to mostly eat fruits and herbs, with fruit consumption of Terminalia bellerica, Gmelina arborea , and Garuga pinnata being reported; these are all common in the deciduous forests of India. In a study of fruit predation of the Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) M. indica and the Chital (Axis axis) were the most frequent frugivores, accounting for over 95% of fruit removal, with murid rodents accounting for less than 1%. The Indian Chevrotain is a frequent prey of Leopards (Panthera pardus) and Dholes (Cuon alpinus) but apparently rarely eaten by Tigers (Panthera tigris) and Golden Jackals (Canis aureus). Among the small carnivores, the Nilgiri Marten (Martes gwatkinsii) is known to prey on the Indian Chevrotain, while the forest eagle owl (Bubo nipalensis) has been reported to predate on young ofthis species.

Breeding. Mating apparently occurs inJune andJuly, with births taking place at the end of the rainy season, which normally runs from July to October during the south-west monsoon. The gestation period is about five months, and there are one or two young, with twins apparently being more common than in other tragulids. Mean weight at birth is 319 g. Maximum reported life span in captivity is six years and nine months.

Activity patterns. Their activity appears to be mostly crepuscular and nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There are no published estimates of population densities and population status of M. indica . As in other tragulids, the species is mostly encountered alone or rarely in pairs. During the day, the chevrotains stay concealed in dens that may be in hollows at the base of trees or in rocky crevices. They are also reported to be able to climb up sloping tree boles. Sometimes the species is encountered resting in leaf litter on the forest floor, where its dappled pelage acts as effective camouflage during the day. But like other chevrotains the Indian species seems to shun the light, and appears to be most active at night or around dusk and dawn.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. In India, M. indica appears to have been widespread, with records as far north as 28° N, but the present stronghold of the species is the forests of the Western Ghats. The historic presence of a tragulid was recently confirmed for Nepal and possibly parts of northern India. Because of the general biogeographic patterns in this country the species was thought to be most likely M. indica , although without any specimens and with a lack of knowledge of the taxonomic status of tragulids reported from areas such as Bangladesh, there is a small chance that one of the Tragulus species once occurred in Nepal. Either way, no recent confirmed records of tragulids exist from Nepal, and if still extant the taxon is likely endangered in that country. Indian Chevrotains are among the most frequently hunted animals in the forests where they occur. The chevrotains are actively hunted using hunting dogs to locate and flush out the animals and kill them. Even women and childrenjoin with men in hunting during the day. The team of hunters beats bushes and flushes animals toward nets held by people; there the animals are caught and killed. In addition, low wire snares with many nooses may be placed along the ground across trails to catch passing chevrotains. Traps are used for night hunting. Much of the hunting is for direct consumption, although wild meatis also sold in local markets in many places. Based on interview surveys in one district, over 75% of the interviewed hunters reported the Indian Chevrotain to be their most commonly hunted prey, with a similar percentage believing that overhunting was the main reason for the species’ decline.

Bibliography. Baral et al. (2009), Champion (1929), Duckworth & Timmins (2008), Gokula (1997), Hayssen et al. (1993), Krishnan (1972), Kumara & Singh (2004), Madhukumar (2002), Madhusudan & Karanth (2002), Mathew (2002), Mudappa (1999), Nandini (2005), Nowak (1999), Raman (2004), Stockley (1930), Tehsin (1980).

Figures

1. White-spotted Chevrotain (Moschiola meminna), 2. Yellow-striped Chevrotain (Moschiola kathygre), 3. Indian Chevrotain (Moschiola indica), 4. Silver-backed Chevrotain (Tragulus versicolor), 5. Lesser Indo-Malayan Chevrotain (Tragulus kanchil), 6. Northern Chevrotain (Tragulus williamsoni), 7. Javan Chevrotain (Tragulus javanicus), 8. Greater Indo-Malayan Chevrotain (Tragulus napu), 9. Balabac Chevrotain (Tragulus nigricans), 10. Water Chevrotain (Hyemoschus aquaticus)

Distribution. Peninsular India and possibly S Nepal .