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The ring-tailed vontsira, locally still known as the ring-tailed mongoose (''Galidia elegans'') is a euplerid in the subfamily Galidiinae, a carnivoran native to Madagascar. It is the only species in genus ''Galidia''.
Ring-tailed mongooseMalagasy ring-tailed mongoose (Galidia elegans)
- ARKive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Ring-Tailed vontsira Euplerids Endemic fauna of Madagascar Mongoose, Ring-tailed Mammals described in 1837 Taxa named by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
The ring-tailed vontsira, locally still known as the ring-tailed mongoose (''Galidia elegans'') is a euplerid in the subfamily Galidiinae, a carnivoran native to Madagascar. It is the only species in genus ''Galidia''.
Classification and etymology
There is much disagreement about the placement of Madagascar's carnivores, including the ring-tailed vontsira, within thephylogenetic tree
A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spec ...
. 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
A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...
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 contrast ...
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 name implies, its bushy tail is covered with black and red rings and is similar to the red panda. Ring-tailed vontsira are very agile, and good climbers. They are quite playful and are active during the day. Their habitat consists of humid forests. Their diet is mostly of small mammals, invertebrates, fish, reptiles and eggs, but they occasionally eat insects and fruit. The population of ring-tailed vontsira has decreased by 20% during the period 1989-1999 due to habitat loss. Another problem is competition with the small Indian civet (''Viverricula indica'').References
External links
*Animal Diversity WeRing-tailed mongoose
- ARKive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Ring-Tailed vontsira Euplerids Endemic fauna of Madagascar Mongoose, Ring-tailed Mammals described in 1837 Taxa named by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire