Mustela felipei

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	CARNIVORA	MUSTELIDAE

Scientific Name:

Mustela felipei

Species Authority

Izor & de la Torre, 1978

Common Name/s:

English

–

Colombian Weasel

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable B1ab(ii,iii) ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Emmons, L. & Helgen, K.

Evaluator/s:

Duckworth, J.W. (Small Carnivore Red List Authority) & Schipper, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:
This species is listed as Vulnerable due to a limited extent of occurrence (<10,000 km²), it is know from only 10 localities and due to an ongoing decline in population size (estimated from the rates of habitat loss and deforestation in the northern Andes in Colombia and Ecuador). Very little is know about this species and it may be more threatened than we can infer from the 10 localities where it has been found to persist. This species should be reevaluated when more becomes know of its distribution and threats.

History:

1996	–	Endangered (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1994	–	Endangered (Groombridge 1994)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Since the discovery of the Colombian weasel, only five specimens have been obtained from western Colombia (provinces of Huila and Cauca) and northern Ecuador (Nowak, 2005). The species was thought to be endemic to the Cordillera Central of Colombia, but another specimen was found from Andean Ecuador (Schreiber et al., 1989).
Countries:	Native: Colombia; Ecuador
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	Nothing is know of populations of this species. Less than 10 specimens are known of this species.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Hardly anything is known of its habitat preferences (Schreiber et al., 1989). The few specimens have been obtained from an altitude, between 1,750 and 2,700 m, where cloud forests predominate. One Colombian weasel was collected in the upper Suaza river valley (Cueva de los Guacharos National Park). This part of the Suaza river contains stretches with torrential currents which are interrupted by quiet pools (Rodriguez, 1988).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

Hardly anything is known of its habitat preferences (Schreiber et al., 1989). The few specimens have been obtained from an altitude, between 1,750 and 2,700 m, where cloud forests predominate. One Colombian weasel was collected in the upper Suaza river valley (Cueva de los Guacharos National Park). This part of the Suaza river contains stretches with torrential currents which are interrupted by quiet pools (Rodriguez, 1988).

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The species occurs in a limited area where deforestation is rampant (Nowak, 2005). Schreiber et al. (1989) noted that it is among the rarest carnivores in South America. A great majority of the presumed range of the species has been deforested for agriculture.

Major Threat(s):

The species occurs in a limited area where deforestation is rampant (Nowak, 2005). Schreiber et al. (1989) noted that it is among the rarest carnivores in South America. A great majority of the presumed range of the species has been deforested for agriculture.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	One specimen has been collected near the administrative centre of the Cueva de los Guacharos National Park (9,000 ha; Rodriguez, 1988). The Parque National de Huila (158,000 ha) and Parque National de Purace (83,000 ha) are also close to collecting sites of M. felipei (Liebermann pers. comm.).

Conservation Actions:

One specimen has been collected near the administrative centre of the Cueva de los Guacharos National Park (9,000 ha; Rodriguez, 1988). The Parque National de Huila (158,000 ha) and Parque National de Purace (83,000 ha) are also close to collecting sites of M. felipei (Liebermann pers. comm.).

Citation:	Emmons, L. & Helgen, K. 2008. Mustela felipei. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 November 2008.
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