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Herpestes flavescens

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA MAMMALIA CARNIVORA HERPESTIDAE

Scientific Name: Herpestes flavescens
Species Authority: (Bocage, 1889)
Common Name/s:
English – Angolan Slender Mongoose, Black Slender Mongoose, Kaokoveld Slender Mongoose
Synonym/s:
Galerella flavescens (Bocage, 1889)
Herpestes nigrata (Thomas, 1928)
Taxonomic Notes: This species has a confusing taxonomic history (summarized in detail by Taylor (in press)). Thomas (1928) identified specimens from the Kaokoveld in Namibia as a distinct mongoose species (Myonax nigratus). Cranial studies have confirmed the distinctiveness of this taxon (Watson and Dippenaar 1987, Watson 1990, Taylor and Goldman 1993, Crawford-Cabral 1996), which Crawford-Cabral (1989, 1996) considered conspecific with the earlier described flavescens (Bocage 1889) from Angola. This classification has been followed by others (Bronner et al. 2003, Wozencraft 2005, and provisionally by Taylor in press). However, nigratus may actually represent a distinct taxon from flavescens, as highlighted by Rathbun and Cowley (in press) who remark on morphological and possible ecological differences between the two forms. Sometimes included in the genus Galerella (e.g., Skinner and Chimimba 2005).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published: 2008
Assessor/s: Hoffmann, M. & Rathbun, G.
Reviewer/s: Duckworth, J.W. (Small Carnivore Red List Authority) and Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)
Contributor/s:
Justification:
Listed as Least Concern as although the species has a relatively restricted distribution, and is associated with a particular microhabitat, it is believed to be common, there are no known major threats to the species, and it is present in several protected areas.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: This mongoose is confined to south-western Angola and north-western and north-central Namibia (Taylor in press).
Countries:
Native:
Angola (Angola); Namibia
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population: There is little information available on this species as few specimens are available in museums. However, it is assumed to be relatively common in arid regions (Taylor in press). It is sometimes confused with the Dwarf Mongoose Helogale parvula, which overlaps its range, and is also dark in colour in this part of its range.
Population Trend: Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: This species is an inhabitant of arid hills and kopjes away from water. In northern Namibia, the species is restricted to habitats dominated by large granitic boulders (petrophily), and the drainages and woodlands connecting these, which results in a highly fragmented distribution (Shortridge 1934; Rathbun and Cowley in press). There is no information available on the habitat preferences of the animals in Angola.
Systems: Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): There are no known major threats to the species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: This species is recorded from several protected areas, including the Skeleton Coast and Etosha National Parks (M. Griffin pers. comm.). This species definitely warrants further research, especially its taxonomic status relative to Angolan animals.
Citation: Hoffmann, M. & Rathbun, G. 2008. Herpestes flavescens. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 18 June 2013.
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