''Moschiola meminna'' is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
even-toed ungulate
Artiodactyls are placental mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla ( , ). Typically, they are ungulates which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes (the third and fourth, often in the form of a hoof). The other t ...
in the
chevrotain family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
(Tragulidae). Particularly in the old literature, ''M. meminna'' often refers to the
spotted chevrotains as a whole. Today, the name is increasingly restricted to the Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain or white-spotted chevrotain, with the
Indian spotted chevrotain ''M. indica''
and/or the
yellow-striped chevrotain ''M. kathygre'' treated as distinct species.
In
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, this species is found in the dry zone and is replaced in the wet zone by the
yellow-striped chevrotain.
Description
Head and body length in the species typically is 55–60 cm. It is dull brown in color with three or four dotted white stripes going longitudinally along flank.
References
External links
America Zoo*
Moschiola
Mammals of Sri Lanka
Mammals described in 1777
{{eventoedungulate-stub