Viverricula indica (E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Viverridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 174-232 : 176

1.

Small Indian Civet

Viverricula indica

French: Civette indienne / German: Kleine Indische Zibetkatze / Spanish: Civeta india pequena

Other common names: Lesser Oriental Civet

Taxonomy. Viverra indica Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803 ,

India.

Often named V. malaccensis , but this name is now not considered valid. The number of subspecies is debated, but some authors recognize eleven subspecies.

Subspecies and Distribution.

V. i. indica Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803 — S peninsular India.

V. i. atchinensis Sody, 1931 — Sumatra.

V. i. baliensis Sody, 1931 — Bali.

V. i. baptistae Pocock, 1933 — Bangladesh to NE India (Assam), and Bhutan.

V. i. deserti Bonhote, 1898 — Pakistan through C India to Nepal.

V. i. klossi Pocock, 1933 — Malaysia.

V. i. mayori Pocock, 1933 — Sri Lanka.

V. i. muriavensis Sody, 1931 — Java.

V.i. taivana Schwarz, 1911 — Taiwan.

V.i. thai Kloss, 1919 — Myanmar and Thailand through Indochina to China.

V. i. wellsi Pocock, 1933 — NW India.

It has been introduced to Madagascar, Zanzibar Island, the Comoro Islands, and Socotra Island for the production of civet or to be used as rat catchers; its presence on some of the Indonesian islands (Bali, Bawean, Kangean, Lombok, and Sumbawa) could also have resulted from introductions.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 48.5-68 cm, tail 30-43 cm, hindfoot 8:5-10 cm, ear 3.9-5 cm; weight 2—4 kg. A small terrestrial civet, with no erectile dorsal crest, a short muzzle, and ears set close on the forehead. The coat color is gray, tawny, or brown. The body is covered by small brown or black spots on the flanks, which tend to run as three to five longitudinal lines on the back. This pattern of lines and spots is variable and does not seem to be correlated with geographic origin. The black and white neck-stripes are narrower and more variable than in the Viverra civets. There are white patches on both sides of the muzzle and white spots between the eyes, but these are not clearly defined. The tail has six to nine dark rings and a white tip. The feet are dark brown or black and have five digits; however, the hallux and pollex are reduced and elevated. The metacarpal pads are reduced to one small lobe and the metatarsal pads are absent. The perineal gland is larger in males. This gland opens into specialized pouches; the inner pockets are enclosed by antero-posteriorly elongated lips (these are everted when the gland secretion is applied). There are at least two pairs ofteats. The skull is low and elongated, with well-developed post-orbital processes. The posterior chamber of the auditory bullae is well-developed. Dental formula: 13/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40. The first upper premolars are reduced and the lower premolars have well-developed cusps. The largest teeth are the carnassials.

Habitat. Semi-evergreen and deciduous forest, mixed deciduous forest, bamboo forest, scrubby areas, grasslands, and riverine habitat. Also found near plantations and human settlements. Reported up to 1200 m in north-east India. In Thailand, a radio-collared male moved in an area consisting of 62% dry deciduous forest, 25% dry evergreen forest, and 13% mixed deciduous forest. In Thailand, out of 29 individuals live-trapped, 16 captures were in open shrub habitat, ten were semi-evergreen/mixed deciduous forest, and four were in grassland; camera-trapping produced 14 photographs, with 13 photos from semi-evergreen/mixed deciduous forest, and one from open shrub habitat. In India (Western Ghats), Small Indian Civets were found to be more abundant in rainforest fragments than in relatively undisturbed large tracts of rainforest.

Food and Feeding. Omnivorous; feeds largely on small vertebrates and invertebrates (particularly insects). In China, the most common prey was rodents (80%) and insects (23%). In southeastern China, the frequency of occurrence of food items in 44 scats was 89% rodents, 39% insects, 21% birds, 14% fruit, 9% leaves, 5% shrews, 5% acorns, 2% crustaceans, and 2% paddy rice. In Taiwan, the percentage of occurrence was 95% insects, 67% earthworms, 58% plants, 40% mammals, 16% amphibians, and 11% reptiles; the occurrence of birds, fish, crustaceans, chilopods, gastropods, and arachnids, were all less than 10%. There was some variation in the diet due to seasonal availability; insects were consumed more in the summer and less in the winter, and plants were consumed more in the spring and summer. The contents of seven stomachs from India comprised rats, babblers, frogs, scorpions, crabs, crickets, centipedes, millipedes, beetles, seeds, berries (Zizyphus oenoplia and Aporusa lindleyana), pineapple, and grass. The stomachs of Small Indian Civets captured near human habitations contained boiled rice and fish bones. The heads of vertebrates are chewed and other parts of the body are merely crushed.

Activity patterns. Nocturnal: activity during the night has been recorded by cameratraps, field sightings, and radio-telemetry. In Thailand, a radio-collared male was active over 50% of the time between 16:30 h and 04:30 h, with a peak of activity between 19:30 h and 01:30 h. The highest monthly activity level was in the rainy month of February. In Myanmar, two Small Indian Civets showed peak activity from 19:30-22:00 h, and from 00:30-03:00 h. In southeastern China, two males were active over 50% of the time between 18:00 h and 05:00 h. In Thailand, rest sites were located in trees and on the ground, all in mixed deciduous forest. In southeastern China, daybeds were on the ground, under bushes or among tall grass, and were often adjacent to each other. They were used once (43%) or twice (29%), but four were used 6-10 times each. In Myanmar, Small Indian Civets rested on the ground, within dense shrub cover, or less often, in a hole in the ground; 60% ofthe sites were used only once, although one was re-used 15 times over a period of 250 days.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Solitary, single individuals have been observed in the field and recorded by camera-traps. Terrestrial, but is said to climb well. In southeastern China, the resting home range of a male was 2-3 km*. The mean distance moved between consecutively used daybeds was 613 m. In Thailand, the home range of a male was 3-1 km?®; his core home range was 1-1 km?and the mean daily movement was 500 m. In India (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve), the home range of a male was 2-2 km? the distance between successive daytime locations ranged from 193 m in September to 2260 m in October. In Myanmar, the mean distance moved between consecutive resting sites was 214 m. Scent marking activity, using the secretions from the perineal gland, occurs in both sexes, but is more frequent in males. They mark any object, but vertical objects seem to be preferred. Scent marking varies between days and season. In captivity, it occurs mainly at night, with three peaks at 18:00-19:00 h, 21:00-23:00 h, and before dawn. Scent marking is more common in the spring, during the breeding season. Vocal communication in captive civets includes: a scream (given by the female during fights with a male); threat calling (given under stress and when an animal is terrified); courtship calling, “da da da” (given by the male as an estrus female approaches).

Breeding. In China, captive Small Indian Civets had two breeding periods. Breeding occurred mostly between February and April; and less frequently in August and September. In southern India, breeding in captive civets occurred during March to May and October to December. When the female is in estrus, both the male and female increase scent marking, inter-individual contacts, and locomotor activity (which is highest between 20:00 h and 21:00 h). Scent marking increases in the male first and then in the female, with a peak during estrus; it decreases after copulations. The male also sniffs the posterior quarters of a female in estrus. Courtship commences with a series of “duk-duk-duk” calls from the male. During the first mounting attempts, the female responds with a sharp scream and bites the male. This often ends in a fight, in which both animals can be injured on the nape and tail. Courtship calls resume after 5-30 minutes. After three or four such attempts, the female runs around the cage, often touching and slightly pushing the male. The male follows and sniffs at the perineal region of the female and finally she lies down, allowing the male to mount; the body of the female is fully extended, with the hindlegs slightly raised. The male mounts with the forepaws placed on either side of the female’s shoulders. He grips the hair on her nape and begins pelvic thrusts. After some time, the female makes a low cat-like call and the male then dismounts. Immediately after dismounting, the female growls and tries to bite the male; they then go to separate corners of the cage. During the first ten days after copulation, females are less active than before, but their appetite increases. Scent marking decreases to a base level and stops around 20 days after a successful mating. Females do not resume scent marking until two months after the parturition date. Movements of the fetuses within a pregnant female are noticeable from the sixth week of pregnancy. Females do not eat on the day of parturition. The mean gestation period is 67 + 2 days. Thelitter size varies from two to five, with two being the most common. The mother nurses the young three to four times every hour during the first week after parturition, but this decreases to once every hour by the second week, to once every two hours by the third week, and to two to three times a day by the seventh week. The mother licks the whole body of her offspring and eats their excreta. If alarmed, she will hold a kitten in her mouth, gripping the fur on its nape. At birth, the newborn civets are blind and covered with fur; their weight ranges from 90 to 110 g. They immediately cluster beside the belly of the mother and crawl to reach a teat. Their eyes open on the fifth day and from the eighth day onwards they can walk slowly. They start eating solid food by four weeks of age. Scent marking behavioris first observed when they are eight weeks old, but perineal gland secretions are not noted until they are eight months old. The body weight is 180-200 g by the end of the second week, 250-300 g by the end of the fourth, 400-500 g by the end of the eighth week, and 1 kg by ten weeks. They reach adult size at six months of age.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Small Indian Civet is considered unthreatened due to its widespread distribution and generalist habitat and food preferences. However, it is not fully understood how habitat disturbance may affect this species, and more ecological studies are needed. Small Indian Civets are hunted for their meat and scent, and are particularly vulnerable to snare trapping. They are also farmed in India to extract their perineal gland secretion for medicinal purposes. These farmed civets are not captive-bred, but are trapped in the wild, and this could be causing declines in local populations. Field surveys are needed to monitor populations, especially in areas where their numbers may be depressed due to high trapping pressures.

Bibliography. Austin & Tewes (1999b), Ayyadurai et al. (1987), Balakrishnan & Sreedevi (2007a, 2007b), Chuang & Lee (1997), Corbet & Hill (1992), Duckworth (1997), Gaubert (2003b), Gupta (2004), Jha (1999), Kumar & Umapathy (2000), Lekagul & McNeely (1991), Medway (1969), Mohan (1994), Mudappa (2001), Muddapa et al. (2007), Pocock (1933a, 1933b, 1939), Rabinowitz (1991), Sheng & Xu (1990), Stuart & Stuart (1998), Su & Sale (2007), Veron (1999), Wang & Fuller (2001, 2003b), Wang et al. (1976), Wozencraft (1984, 2005), Xu & Sheng (1994).

Figures

1. Small Indian Civet (Viverricula indica), 2. African Civet (Civettictis civetta), 3. Malabar Civet (Viverra civettina), 4. Large-spotted Civet (Viverra megaspila), 5. Malay Civet (Viverra tangalunga), 6. Large Indian Civet (Viverra zibetha)

Subspecies and Distribution. V. i. indica Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803 — S peninsular India . V. i. atchinensis Sody, 1931 — Sumatra. V. i. baliensis Sody, 1931 — Bali. V. i. baptistae Pocock, 1933 — Bangladesh to NE India (Assam), and Bhutan . V. i. deserti Bonhote, 1898 — Pakistan through C India to Nepal . V. i. klossi Pocock, 1933 — Malaysia . V. i. mayori Pocock, 1933 — Sri Lanka . V. i. muriavensis Sody, 1931 — Java. V.i. taivana Schwarz, 1911 — Taiwan . V.i. thai Kloss, 1919 — Myanmar and Thailand through Indochina to China . V. i. wellsi Pocock, 1933 — NW India . It has been introduced to Madagascar , Zanzibar Island , the Comoro Islands , and Socotra Island for the production of civet or to be used as rat catchers; its presence on some of the Indonesian islands (Bali, Bawean, Kangean, Lombok, and Sumbawa) could also have resulted from introductions.