Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose

The broad-striped Malagasy mongoose (Galidictis fasciata) is a species of Galidiinae, a subfamily of mongoose-like euplerids native to Madagascar. The species contains two known subspecies: Galidictis fasciata fasciata and Galidictis fasciata striata.[1]

Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Eupleridae
Genus: Galidictis
Species:
G. fasciata
Binomial name
Galidictis fasciata
(Gmelin, 1788)
Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose range

Their main distinguishing factors are their stripes and their tails; G. f. fasciata has a fuller, reddish-brown tail and 8-10 stripes, while G. f. striata has a thinner, white tail and 5 stripes. They are all forest-dweller on the eastern side of the island, and their primary prey is small rodents. This species is most active in the evening and at night.

The specific epithet fasciata means ‘banded’ in Latin. Its local common name is vontsira fotsy, ‘white vontsira’ in Malagasy.[3]

References
  1. Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. (2005). "Galidictis fasciata". Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. Hawkins, A.F.A. (2008). "Galidictis fasciata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of near threatened
  3. Blench, Roger and Martin Walsh: Faunal names in Malagasy: their etymologies and implications for the prehistory of the East African coast (2009) Re-linked 2014-08-13
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