Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose
The broad-striped Malagasy mongoose (Galidictis fasciata) is a species of Galidiinae, a subfamily of mongoose-like euplerids native to Madagascar. The species contains two known subspecies: Galidictis fasciata fasciata and Galidictis fasciata striata.[1]
| Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose[1] | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Eupleridae |
| Subfamily: | Galidiinae |
| Genus: | 'Galidictis' |
| Species: | ''G. fasciata'' |
| Binomial name | |
| Galidictis fasciata (Gmelin, 1788)
| |
| |
| Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose range | |
Their main distinguishing factors are their stripes and their tails; G. f. fasciata has a fuller, reddish-brown tail and 8-10 stripes, while G. f. striata has a thinner, white tail and 5 stripes. They are all forest-dweller on the eastern side of the island, and their primary prey is small rodents. This species is most active in the evening and at night.
The specific epithet fasciata means ‘banded’ in Latin. Its local common name is vontsira fotsy, ‘white vontsira’ in Malagasy.[3]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Template:MSW3
- ^ Template:IUCN2008 Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of near threatened
- ^ Blench, Roger and Martin Walsh: Faunal names in Malagasy: their etymologies and implications for the prehistory of the East African coast (2009) Re-linked 2014-08-13