Genetta maculata (Gray, 1830)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5714564 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5714858 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FC03440B-FFEC-FF8D-EF94-4908FC07F6AE |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Genetta maculata |
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Rusty-spotted Genet
French: Genette a grandes taches / German: GroRfleckgenette / Spanish: Gineta de manchas grandes
Other common names: Central African Large-spotted Genet
Taxonomy. Viverra maculata Gray, 1830 ,
Ethiopia.
The name G. rubiginosa has been also used for this species, butthis is now considered invalid. Has been considered conspecific with the Cape Genet ( G. tigrina ) and Pardine Genet (G. pardina ), and was sometimes also designated under the name G. tigrina . Recent morphometric and molecular studies have suggested that race letabae is a separate species, but this requires further investigation. Four subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
G. m. maculata Gray, 1830 — Ethiopia and Eritrea.
G. m. letabae Thomas & Schwann, 1906 — W, C & E Africa, also in Angola, NE Namibia, Botswana, and SW Zambia.
G. m. mossambica Matschie, 1902 — Mozambique and South Africa.
G. m. zambesiana Matschie, 1902 — Malawi and Zimbabwe. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 44:3-52. 1 cm (males), 41:1-49. 9 cm (females), tail 41.4-53. 5 cm (males), 39.5-54 cm (females), hindfoot 8:1.9-8 cm (males), 8.9-3 cm (females), ear 4.1-5 cm (males), 4.1-6. 5 cm (females); weight 1.4-3. 2 kg (males), 1.3-2. 5 kg (females). A slender genet with a short, soft pelage. Both sexes are similar in color and size. The coat color is extremely variable: sandy-gray, pale yellow, rufousgray, or gray-yellow. The ventral pelage is whitish-gray to pale yellow. The nuchal stripes are well defined. The continuous mid-dorsal line is the same color as the body spots;it begins after the shoulder and runs to the base of the tail. There is no dorsal crest. The spots are black to rufous-brown and variable in size and shape; the first two dorsal rows are round or square and sometimes coalesce at the rump. The face has a well-marked mask, a thin dark vertical line on the muzzle, and white suband supra-ocular spots. The tail has seven to nine pale rings alternating with dark rings. The width of the pale rings relative to the dark rings in the middle ofthe tail is 50-75%. The elongated dark tail tip is due to the suffusion of dark hairs in the last two pale rings. The hindlimbs and forelimbs are well spotted. The posterior region of the hindlimbs is densely covered in dark hairs. This coloration extends to the bottom of the hindfeet and borders the toes. The upper parts of the forefeet and hindfeet are the same color as the coat and are lightly spotted. The central depression of the forefeet is hairy. There are two pairs of teats. In juveniles, the coat is densely spotted, with a very irregular pattern. The skull is of medium size, with a thin sagittal crest and a narrow inter-orbital constriction. The posterior extension of the frontal bones is very narrow. The posterior chamber ofthe auditory bulla is not ventrally inflated and has a broken curve line on the external side. The maxillary-palatine suture is at the same level as the main cusp of P*. The ratio between the inter-orbital constriction and frontal width is lesss than 1 + 0-07. Dental formula:13/3,C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40.
Habitat. Primary and secondary rainforest, woodland savannah, savannah-forest mosaic, and montane forest. Also occurs in cultivated areas, farmlands, and suburbs. Said to prefer wet habitats such as swamps and riparian areas. In Nigeria, it was positively correlated with derived savannah, oil palm plantations, and other altered habitats, whereas it was negatively correlated with various types offorests. In south-east Africa, it only occurs in areas with a mean annual rainfall exceeding 450 mm. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, it is found in wet forest, woodlands, and humid grassland. In Tanzania, it was camera-trapped in both open and closed lowland forests from 280 to 1470 m. It can live at high altitudes, such as the Simien Mountains ( Ethiopia) and Mount Kilimanjaro ( Tanzania).
Food and Feeding. Mainly carnivorous, although in some parts ofits range, fruits, seeds, and berries can be important foods. Animal prey includes small mammals, birds (and eggs), terrestrial and aquatic gastropods,bivalves, centipedes, millipedes,spiders, scorpions, insects, crustaceans, fish, amphibians, and reptiles (including lizards and snakes). The frequency of occurrence of food items in the diet has been determined in several places throughoutits range. In Zambia, scats contained 100% rodents (including Mastomys denniae, Mastomys sp. , Grammomys dolichurus, Otomys sp. , and Mus minuloides), 67% invertebrates, 67% insects (including Orthoptera), 39% grass, 33% amphibians, 11% insectivores ( Crocidura sp. ), and 6% reptiles. In Zimbabwe, stomach contents contained 68% murids (including Mastomys sp. ), 40% insects (Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Isoptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera), 15% birds, 9% arachnids, 8% reptiles, 8% wild fruits, 3% shrews, 3% centipedes, 2% amphibians, 1% lagomorphs and 1% fish. In Botswana, the diet comprised 90% insects (Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and Isoptera), 47% murids (including the Pouched Mouse Saccostomus campestris), 27% arachnids, 17% wild fruits, 10% centipedes, 7% birds, and 1% reptiles, amphibians and other arthropods. In Kenya, the relative occurrence of food items found in scats was 74% seeds and fruit (more than 40 species) versus 82% arthropods and 44% other food remains (small mammals, reptiles, birds, snails, and leaves). In Nigeria, stomach contents contained small mammal species ( Praomys tullbergi, Cricetomys sp., Mus musculoides, Lemniscomys striatus, Hybomys univittatus, Dendromus sp., Crocidura nigeriae, Crocidura poensis , and Crocidura sp. ), insects (including Orthoptera and Coleoptera), birds, eggs, reptiles, fruits, seeds, centipedes, and spiders; there was a 70% overlap in diet with the sympatric Crested Genet, indicating strong interspecific competition for food between these two species. Bats have been recorded as prey items in South Africa (Pipistrellus capensis and genera Eptesicus, Scotophilus, and Rhinolophus) and Somalia (genus Tadarida). There are reports of Rusty-spotted Genets killing poultry: in Zimbabwe, stomach contents included domestic fowl (pheasants, young peafowl, pigeons, and chickens). There is little evidence that carrion is eaten, although some stomachs from South Africa did contain maggots. Rusty-spotted Genets forage both in trees and on the ground. Prey is caught by careful stalking, followed by a pounce. Before being killed,its prey is bitten several times or sometimes shaken.
Activity patterns. Mainly nocturnal. In Kenya and Ethiopia, radio-collared genets were more active between sunset and sunrise than during daylight hours. Restsites include trees, hollow logs, under tree roots, in disused Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) or spring hare burrows, under boulders, rock overhangs, caves, and man-made shelters. Resting sites are reused by both sexes.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Generally solitary, except pairs are seen during the breeding season. A radio-tracking study in Kenya (June-August), found mean home ranges of 5-9 km? for three males and 2: 8 km ” for two females; male ranges overlapped those of females. Males may move at 3 km /hour. Often seen on the ground, but also regularly observed climbing in trees; it can descend headfirst and usesits tail as a balancing organ. Uses regular latrine sites; some ground latrines are shared by other genet and mongoose species. Territories are marked using the perineal gland secretion, urine, and feces (with anal gland secretions). Tree scratching also may play a role in marking. A threatening attitude is achieved by arching the back and erecting the hairs on the back and tail.
Breeding. Two breeding peaks have been reported from Kenya: a main peak from October to December and another between March and May. In southern Africa, it appears that the breeding season extends from August to March. In South Africa, three young were found in February and two pregnant females, both with three fetuses, were recorded in November. Three two-week-old kittens were found in a hollow tree in northern Namibia in October. In Botswana, a female was found lactating during February and in Zimbabwe births were recorded from August to February. In Zambia, four-week-old juveniles were taken in October and November. Breeding behavior has been observed in captivity. A courting male, after sniffing the vulva of the female, exhibits a facial grimace (flehmen). He follows the female closely and produces grumbling and coughing calls. During the early stages of courtship, the female keeps turning away from the male, with hertail and hindquarters low, and flees. She eventually answers the male’s calls and allows him to come into close contact. Each partner then sniffs the other’s face and genitals, and they rub their cheeks. The female holds her tail up and crouches with raised hindquarters and tail deflected sideways. The male then clasps the female on the groin area, with his chest and belly resting on her lower back. As the female curves her spine, intromission occurs with pelvic thrusting. The male may sometimes bite the neck of the female during the final seconds of copulation, which usually lasts five minutes. Coupling pairs often meow. After copulating, the female may anal-drag and roll on her back, and both partners lick their genitals. Gestation is 70-77 days. Litter size appears to be two to five. Births take place in hollow trees, nests of leaves, and under roofs in urbanized habitats. Neonates are blind; they are covered with hair and have a discernable coat pattern. The eyes open at ten days and the first set of canines erupts at four weeks. These are shed after the permanent canines have erupted, at around 10-11 months. The mother licks her kittens ano-genitally and consumes their excrement. The young begin to take solid food at about six weeks, and may start to kill and eatlive vertebrates at about 28 weeks. At approximately eight weeks of age, the young start running, jumping, rolling, and playing fighting games.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Considered unthreatened as it has a wide range and occurs in a number of habitats. However, it may be declining in some areas due to hunting: it is found in bushmeat markets and is frequently trapped. Rusty-spotted Genets have a bad reputation as poultry thieves and farmers sometimes poison or trap them in retaliation.
Bibliography. Angelici (2000), Angelici & Gaubert (In press), Angelici & Luiselli (2005), Angelici, Luiselli & Politano (1999), Angelici, Luiselli, Politano & Akani (1999), Carpenter (1970), Crawford-Cabral & Fernandes (1999, 2001), Crawford-Cabral & Pacheco (1992), De Luca & Mpunga (2005), Duckworth (1995), Engel (1998a, 1998b, 2000), Estes (1991), Fernandes & Crawford-Cabral (2004), Fuller et al. (1990), Gaubert & Wozencraft (2005), Gaubert, Fernandes et al. (2004), Gaubert, Taylor, Fernandes et al. (2005), Gaubert, Taylor & Veron (2005), Gaubert, Tranier, Veron et al. (2003), Gaubert, Volobouev et al. (2004), Gaubert, Veron & Tranier (2001, 2002), Grimshaw et al. (1995), Grubb (2004), Ikeda et al. (1982), Kingdon (1971-1982, 1997), Maddock & Perrin (1993), Pienaar (1964), Rautenbach (1982), Rowe-Rowe (1971), Skinner & Smithers (1990), Smithers (1971), Smithers & Wilson (1979), Stuart (1990), Stuart & Stuart, M.D. (1997, Stuart & Stuart, T. (2003), Taylor (1969), Waser (1980), Wemmer (1977), Wozencraft (2005), Yalden et al. (1996).
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