Prionodon pardicolor, Hodgson, 1842

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Prionodonotidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 170-173 : 173

2.

Spotted Linsang

Prionodon pardicolor

French: Linsang tacheté / German: Fleckenlinsang / Spanish: Linsang manchado

Taxonomy. Prionodon pardicolor Hodgson, 1842 ,

“Sikim... Sub-Hemalayan mountains”. [Sikkim, India].

Two subspecies recognized, pardicolor includes pardochrous, and perdicator.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P. p. pardicolor Hodgson, 1842 — Bhutan, NE India, N Myanmar, and Nepal.

P. p. presina Thomas, 1925 — Cambodia, S China, Laos, N Thailand, and Vietnam.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 31-45 cm, tail 30-39. 9 cm; weight 550-1220 g. Ratio head-body/tail slightly superior to one. Two pairs of mammae. Adult males are larger than and may be twice as heavy as females. Has a genetlike aspect, with head and neck more elongated, pointed muzzle; nose pad brownish pink. Ears are medium-sized, broad at the base and rounded.Iris is dark brown to black. Pelage is short and very soft. Coat color is relatively uniform across the body, and varies from pale gray to yellow rufous on the back and flanks; ventral pelage pale gray to pale yellow. Individual variation exists in spot markings. Back exhibits two main pairs of lines of large dark spots rarely fused, and a characteristic pair of large nucchalstripes in continuation with the second row ofspots. A line of thin spots starting behind the shoulders forms a broken medio-dorsal stripe. Small spots are irregularly distributed on the flanks, shoulders and thighs. The rest of the hindlimbs and the forepaws are not spotted. Five claws fully retractile; presence of sheaths. Hindfeet digitigrade, forefeet plantigrade; hallucal lobe small and remote; absence of metatarsal pads. Tail is almost as long as head and body; thickly furred, with short hair; exhibits 7-9 broad dark rings. Confused annealing pattern at the whitish tip, with broad, distal rings often interspersed with thin ground-colored rings. Perineal glands are absent. Rostrum is moderately elongated; sagittal crest forms a large, flat stripe that fuses with the frontal bone. Caudal entotympanic bone poorly inflated ventrally when compared to the ectotympanic bone. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P4/4,M 1/2 = 38. The brain weighs about 9 g. Geographic variations in coat pattern have been described. In presina, size is greater, dorsal spots are smaller and less regularly distributed, ground color—especially on the belly—is paler, and dark rings on the tail are narrower.

Habitat. Primary and secondary moist forests, up to 2700 m (e.g. Nepal, Assam). Also recorded in mosaics of lowland riverine/sal forests and grassland ( Nepal), mixed bamboo forests along mountain rivers ( Vietnam), and disturbed evergreen forest ( Thailand, Laos).

Food and Feeding. Primarily carnivorous. Stomach contents in Vietnam showed remains of rodents, frogs, snakes and small birds. A captive female of 600 g ate around 100 g of meat per day, of which 76-5% was digested. Several authors have mentioned that the favorite food is passerine birds, which may be preyed upon either in trees or hiding in the grass. However,it is not known whether foraging more frequently occurs in trees or on the ground; a captive individual always ate on the ground. Small rodents are killed with a bite to the neck, whereas larger preys (e.g. rats) are leaped upon and finished whilst lying side-by-side on the ground. Reported to feed on carcasses killed by other predators. A captive specimen refused fish, eggs and fruits.

Activity patterns. Most of the active period (about eight hours) takes place during the night. Presumably arboreal, but from recent camera-trap records, may frequently use the ground to move and forage. A captive specimen was reported to spend most ofits time at heights up to 1 m, although wild individuals were sighted higher in the canopy. Shelter in trees. Good climber; springs and climbs in the manner of cats; semi-digitigrade, with plantigrade forefeet and digitigrade hindfeet; uses a “head-first” vertical descent of trees. Jumps may reach 1 m high.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Almost unknown. Probably solitary. A female captive specimen marked territory with urine and feces. When scared, may emit a squeak accompanied by a “drumming” on the ground with one forepaw.

Breeding. Litters reported to be of two cubs, once or twice a year, between February and August (three litters in one year has been reported once in captivity). Dens are located in tree holes.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Widespread distribution over South-east Asia but individuals rarely sighted, especially in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia. Recent records from camera-trapping however suggest that the species is not uncommon in some parts of its range (e.g. Yunnan, China). Major threats are habitat loss (e.g. slash and burn shifting cultivation) and hunting for fur. Most of the skins kept in museums were collected from natives. Listed on Category II of the China Wildlife Protection Law; totally protected in India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Bibliography. Boitani et al. (2006), Choudhury (1997a, 1997b, 2002), Duckworth (1997), Duckworth et al. (1999), Hodgson (1842, 1847), Kuznetzov & Baranauskas (1993), Pham-chong-Ahn (1980), Pocock (1915¢, 1933c, 1935), Radinsky (1975), Ramakantha (1994), Schreiber et al. (1989), Sunquist (1982), Taylor (1988), Tizard (2002), Van Rompaey (1995).

Figures

Plate 11 Species Accounts

Subspecies and Distribution. P. p. pardicolor Hodgson, 1842 — Bhutan , NE India , N Myanmar , and Nepal . P. p. presina Thomas, 1925 — Cambodia , S China , Laos , N Thailand , and Vietnam .