Genetta pardina Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1832
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Viverridae
Genetta
Genetta pardina

description: 17.
Pardine Genet
Genetta pardina
French: Genette pardine / German: Pardelgenette / Spanish: Gineta pardina
Other common names: West African Large-spotted Genet
Taxonomy. Genetta pardina Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1832,
Senegal.
Has been considered conspecific with G. maculata and G. tigrina. Several forms related to G. pardina or to G. maculata have been debated and some are now recognized as separate species (G. bourloni and G. poensis). Other forms (such as schoutedeni and letabae) have also been suggested as distinct species by morphometric and molecular studies, but these need further investigation. Monotypic.
Distribution. W Africa from Senegal and Mali to Burkina Faso and Ghana.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 41-55. 3 cm (males), 41-53 cm (females), tail 39-49 cm (males), 42-45 cm (females), hindfoot 9-10 cm (males), 8:8.9-5 cm (females), ear 3.9-4. 7 cm (males), 4.4-5 cm (females); weight up to 3-1 kg. A heavily built genet with a short, rough pelage. Both sexes are similar in color and size. The coat color varies from yellowish-gray to pale or sandy-gray; the ventral pelage is whitish-yellow or gray. The nuchalstripes are well defined. The wide, dark mid-dorsal line begins after the shoulder and runs to the base of the tail. There is no dorsal crest. The dorsal spots are dark brown or rufous brown, elongated and squared, not coalesced, and are bordered by dark rings. The first two rows form a line of separated spots, equal in width to the dorsal line. The face has a well-marked mask, a thin dark vertical line on the muzzle, and white suband supra-ocular spots. The ears are broad-based and slightly rounded. The tail has six to seven pale rings alternating with dark rings. The width of the pale rings relative to the dark rings in the middle of the tail is less than 20%; the tip of the tail is dark. The hindlimbs and forelimbs are the same color as the coat and are well spotted. The upper parts of the forefeet are spotted, whereas the upper parts of the hindfeet are unspotted. The underparts of the feet are dark-brown. There are two pairs of teats. In juveniles, the pattern of spots is similar to adults, but the spots on the flank, thigh and shoulder, are smaller and darker. The skull is large, with a thin sagittal crest. The posterior chamber of the auditory bulla is ventrally inflated and has a broken curve line on the external side. The premaxillary-frontal contact is absent. The posterior extension of the frontal bones overlaps c. 50% of the dorsal region of the inter-orbital constriction. The maxillary-palatine suture is at the same level as the main cusp of P?. The ratio between the inter-orbital constriction and frontal width is less than 1 + 0-12. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40.
Habitat. Primary and secondary rain forests, gallery forests, and moist woodlands. Also occurs in forest plantations, bushlands, and suburban areas.
Food and Feeding. Diet thought to include rodents, invertebrates, and fruit. A specimen collected in the Ivory Coast contained remains of the brush-furred rat (Lophuromys sp.), insects, palm fruits, and grass.
Activity patterns. Appears to be nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Considered solitary.
Breeding. In the Ivory Coast, two one-month-oldjuveniles were found in April and one sub-adult male in June. Another sub-adult specimen, estimated to be five to six months old, was collected in July.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Assumed to be common within its range and there are no known major threats. However, Pardine Genets have been recorded from bushmeat markets, so hunting pressure may have an impact on local populations.
Bibliography. Anon. (1960), Ansell (1978), Bourliére et al. (1974), Coe (1975), Coetzee (1977), Crawford-Cabral (1970, 1973, 1981), Crawford-Cabral & Fernandes (2001), Crawford-Cabral & Pacheco (1992), Gaubert (2003a), Gaubert & Dunham (In press a), Gaubert, Fernandes et al. (2004), Gaubert, Taylor, Fernandes et al. (2005), Gaubert, Taylor & Veron (2005), Grubb et al. (1998), Haltenorth & Diller (1985), Hoppe-Dominik (1990), Jones (1966), Rahm (1961), Rosevear (1974), Sillero-Zubiri & Marino (1997), Wozencraft (2005).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Viverridae, pp. 174-232 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 189, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5714564