Herpestes naso

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	CARNIVORA	HERPESTIDAE

Scientific Name:

Herpestes naso

Species Authority:

de Winton, 1901

Common Name/s:

English

–

Long-nosed Mongoose

Taxonomic Notes:

This species has been included in the genus Xenogale, but is here retained under Herpestes in order to avoid paraphyly following Wozencraft (1993, 2005).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

Van Rompaey, H., Ray, J. & Hoffmann, M.

Reviewer/s:

Duckworth, J.W. (Small Carnivore Red List Authority) and Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:
Listed as Least Concern as the species is relatively widespread in the Congo forest basin, abundant in some areas, and present in several protected areas. Although they may be declining in some areas due to habitat loss and bushmeat hunting, they are not declining at a rate that warrants listing in a higher category of threat.

History:

1996

–

Lower Risk/least concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Occurs in western and central Africa, ranging from the Cross R. in south-eastern Nigeria east to Cameroon and Central African Republic and southward to Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo Republic and DR Congo (Van Rompaey and Colyn in press). In 1994, a relic population was discovered in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, approximately 200 km west of the Cross R. (Colyn and Van Rompaey 1994) and a specimen was recovered being sold as bushmeat in Ibeno, just west of the Cross R. (Angelici et al. 1999). Collected to elevations of around 600-650 m asl (Van Rompaey and Colyn in press).
Countries:	Native: Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Nigeria
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Until recently, they were thought to be very rare, as reflected in the small number of museum specimens and general lack of study. In south-west Central African Republic, this is the most dominant small carnivore (Ray 1997; Ray and Sunquist 2001). However, in other areas, they are not as abundant as other forest carnivores (especially Crossarchus spp.), and they are rare in the Niger Delta (Van Rompaey and Colyn in press).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Population:

Until recently, they were thought to be very rare, as reflected in the small number of museum specimens and general lack of study. In south-west Central African Republic, this is the most dominant small carnivore (Ray 1997; Ray and Sunquist 2001). However, in other areas, they are not as abundant as other forest carnivores (especially Crossarchus spp.), and they are rare in the Niger Delta (Van Rompaey and Colyn in press).

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Inhabits forested areas near swampy places or near streams and stream-beds (Van Rompaey and Colyn in press). In the Dzanga-Sangha, Central African Republic, they prefer dense and tangled understorey in forest, avoiding the very open understories of the stands of mono-dominant Gilbertiodendron dewevrei forest (Ray 1995, 1997). Omnivorous.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Although there are no major threats known to the species, numbers probably are declining as a result of forest fragmentation and forest loss by logging, mining, and slash and burn farming. They are also hunted for bushmeat (Van Rompaey and Colyn in press).

Major Threat(s):

Although there are no major threats known to the species, numbers probably are declining as a result of forest fragmentation and forest loss by logging, mining, and slash and burn farming. They are also hunted for bushmeat (Van Rompaey and Colyn in press).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	They are known to be present in protected areas, such as Dzanga-Sangha in Central African Republic. Nonetheless, given their dependency upon forested habitats, and localized declines due to habitat loss and hunting, there is clearly a need for continued population monitoring of this species.

Conservation Actions:

They are known to be present in protected areas, such as Dzanga-Sangha in Central African Republic. Nonetheless, given their dependency upon forested habitats, and localized declines due to habitat loss and hunting, there is clearly a need for continued population monitoring of this species.

Citation:	Van Rompaey, H., Ray, J. & Hoffmann, M. 2008. Herpestes naso. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2012.
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