Ictonyx libyca

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	MUSTELIDAE

Scientific Name:

Ictonyx libyca

Species Authority:

(Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Libyan Striped Weasel, Saharan Striped Polecat, Saharan Striped Weasel

Taxonomic Notes:

Included in the genus Poecilictis by several authors, but treated here as congeneric with Ictonyx following Rosevear (1974), Niethammer (1987), Wozencraft (2005) and Cuzin (in press).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2008
Assessor/s:	Hoffmann, M., Cuzin, F. & de Smet, K.
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 the species has a wide distribution range, is not uncommon, and there are no obvious major threats.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Present in northern Africa from Morocco and Senegal to Egypt and Eritrea. Their distribution is poorly known (Cuzin in press). Their range apparently overlaps with that of the Zorilla Ictonyx striatus in some regions, such as in northern Nigeria and in central and eastern Sudan (Niethammer 1987).
Countries:	Native: Algeria; Burkina Faso; Chad; Egypt; Eritrea; Libya; Mali; Mauritania; Morocco; Niger; Nigeria; Senegal; Sudan; Tunisia; Western Sahara
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	There is limited reliable information on the population status of this species. They are not uncommon, and are reportedly abundant in coastal dunes, but numbers are probably subject to periodic fluctuations (Cuzin in press).
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Found only in desert fringes, mountains and oases, and sub-deserts. They favour sparse to very sparse vegetation cover, dominated by small bushes, except where they occur in cultivated areas (Cuzin in press).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are no major threats, but they may be subject to competition with Least Weasel Mustela nivalis in the most productive habitats (e.g., in Morocco: F. Cuzin pers. comm. 2007). Although their meat is not eaten, they are exploited in Tunisia in the belief that they are capable of increasing human male fertility, and there is even some international trade (e.g. from Tunisia into Libya: K. de Smet pers. comm.).

Major Threat(s):

There are no major threats, but they may be subject to competition with Least Weasel Mustela nivalis in the most productive habitats (e.g., in Morocco: F. Cuzin pers. comm. 2007). Although their meat is not eaten, they are exploited in Tunisia in the belief that they are capable of increasing human male fertility, and there is even some international trade (e.g. from Tunisia into Libya: K. de Smet pers. comm.).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Protected by law in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (K. de Smet pers. comm.). Presumably present in several protected areas across their range.

Conservation Actions:

Protected by law in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (K. de Smet pers. comm.). Presumably present in several protected areas across their range.

Citation:	Hoffmann, M., Cuzin, F. & de Smet, K. 2008. Ictonyx libyca. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 June 2013.
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