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Vontsira
Galidiinae is a subfamily of carnivorans that is restricted to Madagascar and includes six species classified into four genera. Together with the three other species of indigenous Malagasy carnivorans, including the fossa, they are currently classified in the family Eupleridae within the suborder Feliformia.Wozencraft, 2005, pp. 560–561 Galidiinae are the smallest of the Malagasy carnivorans, generally weighing about 600 to 900 g. They are agile, short-legged animals with long, bushy ringed tails.Yoder and Flynn, 2003 They closely resemble the mongooses (family Herpestidae) of continental Africa and southern Eurasia, with which they were classified until 2006, and accordingly they are said to be "mongoose-like" or even described as "Malagasy mongooses". The Malagasy name vontsira is a common name or alias for many species. Taxonomy The relationship of galidiines to other carnivorans has historically been controversial. Up to the middle of the 20th century, all smaller felifor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ring-tailed Mongoose
The ring-tailed vontsira (''Galidia elegans''), locally still known as the ring-tailed mongoose, is a euplerid in the subfamily Galidiinae, a carnivoran native to Madagascar. It is the only species in the genus ''Galidia''. Classification and etymology There is much disagreement about the placement of Madagascar's carnivores, including the ring-tailed vontsira, within the phylogenetic tree. A 2003 study reported evidence that the Malagasy Carnivora evolved from a single herpestid ancestor. A monotypic genus, ''Galidia'' literally means "little weasel", being a diminutive form of (, "weasel" in ancient Greek). Its local common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ... is ''vontsira mena'', ‘red '' vontsira''’ in Malagasy. Description The ring-tailed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galidia
The ring-tailed vontsira (''Galidia elegans''), locally still known as the ring-tailed mongoose, is a euplerid in the subfamily Galidiinae, a carnivoran native to Madagascar. It is the only species in the genus ''Galidia''. Classification and etymology There is much disagreement about the placement of Madagascar's carnivores, including the ring-tailed vontsira, within the phylogenetic tree. A 2003 study reported evidence that the Malagasy Carnivora evolved from a single herpestid ancestor. A monotypic genus, ''Galidia'' literally means "little weasel", being a diminutive form of (, "weasel" in ancient Greek). Its local common name is ''vontsira mena'', ‘red ''vontsira''’ in Malagasy. Description The ring-tailed vontsira is relatively small but is the largest member of the subfamily Galidiinae. It is usually long and weighs only . Its body is long and slender, and the rounded head has a pointed snout. The body is a dark red color and the feet are black. As the nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eupleridae
Eupleridae is a Family (biology), family of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar and comprising 10 known living species in seven genus, genera, commonly known as euplerids, Malagasy mongooses or Malagasy carnivorans. The best known species is the Fossa (animal), fossa (''Cryptoprocta ferox''), in the subfamily Euplerinae. All species of Euplerinae were formerly classified as Viverridae, viverrids, while all species in the subfamily Galidiinae were classified as Herpestidae, herpestids. Recent molecular studies indicate that the 10 living species of Madagascar carnivorans evolved from one ancestor that is thought to have Oceanic dispersal, rafted over from mainland Africa 18–24 million years ago. This makes Malagasy carnivorans a clade. They are closely allied with the true herpestid mongooses, their closest living relatives. The fossa and the Malagasy civet (''Fossa fossana'') are each evolutionarily quite distinct from each other and from the rest of the clade. All ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salanoia Durrelli
Durrell's vontsira (''Salanoia durrelli'') is a small, reddish-brown, fox-like mammal native to the island of Madagascar. Discovered in 2004, it lives only in the biodiverse wetlands of Lake Alaotra. Durrell's vontsira belongs to the family Eupleridae, a group of meat-eating, cat- or fox-like mammals (of the order Carnivora) found only on Madagascar. The species is closely related to the brown-tailed mongoose (''Salanoia concolor''), with which it forms the genus ''Salanoia''. The two are genetically similar, but morphology (anatomy), morphologically distinct, and ''S. durrelli'' was species description, described as a new species in 2010. A small, reddish-brown carnivore, ''Salanoia durrelli'' is characterized by broad feet with prominent Paw#Common characteristics, pads, reddish-wikt:buff, buff underparts, and broad, robust teeth, among other differences from the brown-tailed mongoose. In the only two weighed specimens, body mass was . It is a marsh-dwelling animal that ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Durrell's Vontsira
Durrell's vontsira (''Salanoia durrelli'') is a small, reddish-brown, fox-like mammal native to the island of Madagascar. Discovered in 2004, it lives only in the biodiverse wetlands of Lake Alaotra. Durrell's vontsira belongs to the family Eupleridae, a group of meat-eating, cat- or fox-like mammals (of the order Carnivora) found only on Madagascar. The species is closely related to the brown-tailed mongoose (''Salanoia concolor''), with which it forms the genus '' Salanoia''. The two are genetically similar, but morphologically distinct, and ''S. durrelli'' was described as a new species in 2010. A small, reddish-brown carnivore, ''Salanoia durrelli'' is characterized by broad feet with prominent pads, reddish- buff underparts, and broad, robust teeth, among other differences from the brown-tailed mongoose. In the only two weighed specimens, body mass was . It is a marsh-dwelling animal that may feed on crustaceans and mollusks. The Lake Alaotra area is a threatened eco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broad-striped Malagasy Mongoose
The broad-striped Malagasy mongoose or broad-striped vontsira (''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''. 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 In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ... '' fasciata'' means ‘banded’ in Latin. Its local common na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grandidier's Vontsira
Grandidier's mongoose (''Galidictis grandidieri''), also known as the giant-striped mongoose or Grandidier's vontsira, is a small carnivoran that lives only in a very small area of southwestern Madagascar, in areas of spiny forest vegetation. It is pale brown or grayish coloured, with eight wide, dark stripes on its back and sides. Grandidier's mongoose is larger than the related broad-striped Malagasy mongoose, ''G. fasciata'', and its stripes are not as wide. The species is named after Alfred Grandidier. This species has been called one of the least-studied carnivorans in the world. With a few exceptions, the majority of records of ''G. grandidieri'' come from a narrow zone at the western edge of the Mahafaly Plateau in the Parc National de Tsimanampetsotsa, making it the Madagascan carnivore with the smallest range. Nocturnal and crepuscular, this species lives in pairs which produce one offspring a year, in the summer. They hunt primarily by searching through ground litter an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brown-tailed Mongoose
The brown-tailed mongoose, brown-tailed vontsira, Malagasy brown-tailed mongoose, or salano (''Salanoia concolor'') is a species of mammal in the family Eupleridae. It is Fauna of Madagascar, endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is Madagascar lowland forests, moist lowland tropical forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. Taxonomy The brown-tailed mongoose was first described in 1837 by French zoologist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire under the names ''Galidia unicolor'' and ''Galidia olivacea''. He placed both in the genus ''Galidia'', together with the ring-tailed mongoose (''Galidia elegans''), which is now recognized as the only species of that genus. However, the name ''unicolor'' had been a misprint for ''concolor'', and the name was corrected in an erratum and in a later note by Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. In 1865, John Edward Gray placed ''concolor'' and ''olivacea'' in their own subgenus of ''Galidia'', which he called ''Salanoia''. In 1882, St. George Jackson Mivart al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grandidier's Mongoose
Grandidier's mongoose (''Galidictis grandidieri''), also known as the giant-striped mongoose or Grandidier's vontsira, is a small carnivoran that lives only in a very small area of southwestern Madagascar, in areas of spiny forest vegetation. It is pale brown or grayish coloured, with eight wide, dark stripes on its back and sides. Grandidier's mongoose is larger than the related broad-striped Malagasy mongoose, ''G. fasciata'', and its stripes are not as wide. The species is named after Alfred Grandidier. This species has been called one of the least-studied carnivorans in the world. With a few exceptions, the majority of records of ''G. grandidieri'' come from a narrow zone at the western edge of the Mahafaly Plateau in the Parc National de Tsimanampetsotsa, making it the Madagascan carnivore with the smallest range. Nocturnal and crepuscular, this species lives in pairs which produce one offspring a year, in the summer. They hunt primarily by searching through ground litter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salanoia Concolor
''Salanoia'' is a genus of Eupleridae, euplerid carnivoran with two currently described species found in Madagascar. They are mongoose-like, which is reflected in the older versions of their English names, for example brown-tailed mongoose which is now called brown-tailed vontsira. The name ''Salanoia'' is derived from ''salano'', one of the vernacular names for ''Salanoia concolor''. ''Vontsira'' is a Malagasy vernacular name that seems to apply to a few local species of local mongoose-like carnivores in the related genera ''Salanoia'', ''Galidia'', and ''Galidictis''. There have been new specimens found of Salanoia in Lac Alaotra, Madagascar. This new species have different physical characteristics from S. Concolor but have genetic similarities. However, there is morphological divergence that justifies this specimen as a new species of Salanoia. References Euplerids Carnivoran genera Endemic fauna of Madagascar Mammals of Madagascar Taxa named by John Edward Gray Ta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
