Martes melampus
Taxonomy [top]
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | MAMMALIA | CARNIVORA | MUSTELIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Martes melampus | |||
| Species Authority: | (Wagner, 1840) | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Taxonomic Notes: | May be conspecific with americana, martes, and zibellina (Anderson 1970, Hagmeier 1961). Heptner et al. (1967) included Japanese and Korean melampus in zibellina (Wozencraft 2005) | |||
Assessment Information [top]
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 | |||
| Year Published: | 2008 | |||
| Assessor/s: | Abramov, A. & Wozencraft, C. | |||
| Reviewer/s: | Duckworth, J.W. (Small Carnivore Red List Authority) & Schipper, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) | |||
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Justification: This species is listed as Least Concern in light of its large populations size, occurrence in protected areas, and although it has a relatively small distribution its populations are not currently in decline. |
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| History: |
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Geographic Range [top]
| Range Description: | This species is known from Japan, where it is found on Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Awaji, and introduced on Sado Island and Hokkaido (Abe, 2005), as well as Tsushima Island (S. Roy pers. comm.). Distribution in southern Korean Peninsula is reported but not confirmed (Abe, 2005). It is found from sea level to 2,000 m. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Japan (Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku)
Presence uncertain:
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of
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| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
Population [top]
| Population: | This species is common throughout its known range, and increasing on Tsushima Island. |
| Population Trend: |
Stable
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Habitat and Ecology [top]
| Habitat and Ecology: | This species is found in forests, and can occur in suburban areas with sufficient trees. It "plays a key role as a relatively long-distance seed disperser for major component species with large and flesh-rich fruits in the subalpine shrubland (Otani, 2002)." It forages on a wide variety of fruits (Otani, 2002). |
| Systems: | Terrestrial |
Threats [top]
| Major Threat(s): | Habitat of this species in Tushima was deteriorated by timber cutting (Tatara, 1994). |
Conservation Actions [top]
| Conservation Actions: | Commercial forestry should consider reducing habitat loss for this species (Tatara, 1994). Conservation of deciduous forest is especially important (Nakamura et al. 2001). It is present in protected areas. |
Bibliography [top]
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Abe, H., Ishii, N., Ito, T., Kaneko, Y., Maeda, K., Miura, S. and Yoneda, M. 2005. A Guide to the Mammals of Japan. Tokai University Press, Kanagawa, Japan. Nakamura, T., Kanzaki, N. and Maruyama, N. 2001. Seasonal changes in Food habits of Japanese Martens in Hinode-cho and Akiruno-shi, Tokyo. Wildlife Conservation Japan 6: 15-24. Otani, T. 2002. Seed dispersal by Japanese marten Martes melampus in the subalpine shrubland of northern Japan. Ecological Research 17: 29-38. Tatara, M. 1994. Ecology and conservation status of the Tsushima Marten. In: S. W. Buskirk, A. S. Harestad, M. G. Raphael and R. A. Powell (eds), Martens, Sables, and Fishers Biology and Conservation, pp. 272-279. Cornell University Press, New York, USA. |
| Citation: | Abramov, A. & Wozencraft, C. 2008. Martes melampus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2012. |
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