field expeditions — Southwest cambodia

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Large-toothed Ferret Badger
(Melogale personata)

The expedition found one of the first of two confirmed records of Large-toothed Ferret Badger (Melogale personata) in Cambodia. Due to the difficulties in differentiating between Large-toothed (or Burmese) Ferret Badger Melogale personata and Small-toothed (or Chinese) Ferret Badger Melogale moschata, there remains confusion over the range boundaries of both species in mainland Asia. The Large-toothed Ferret Badger has been recorded from northeast India, Bangladesh (Islam et al. 2008), Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos and Vietnam (Pocock 1941, Corbet and Hill 1992, Duckworth et al. 1999). There are previous references to records from southern China and peninsular Malaysia (e.g., Hussain 1999, Wozencraft 2005, Wozencraft 2008), however no reliable primary sources were given for these records. A skull was found just outside of Botum Sakor National Park in Koh Kong province, Cambodia, on 3 November 2008. A road-killed individual was found in the Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area in Mondulkiri province, Cambodia, on 11 April 2007. Confirmation of both these records was based on the diagnostic large size of the upper fourth premolars and the relative size of the upper first and second premolars to one another. The known geographic range of this species includes parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

These represent the first two documented records of the Large-toothed Ferret Badger in Cambodia, and are included in a report submitted to the journal Small Carnivore Conservation.

References

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Corbet, G. B. & Hill, J. E. 1992. The Mammals of the Indomalayan Region: A systematic review. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K.

Daltry, J. & Traeholt, C. 2003. Biodiversity Assessment of the Southern Cardamoms and Botum-Sakor Peninsula. WildAid, Cambodia.

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Duckworth, J. W., Salter, R. E. & Khounboline, K. (compilers). 1999. Wildlife in Lao PDR: 1999 status report. IUCN–The World Conservation Union / Wildlife Conservation Society / Centre for Protected Areas and Watershed Management, Vientiane.

Duckworth, J. W., Poole, C. M., Tizard, R. J., Walston, J. L. & Timmins, R. J. 2005. The Jungle Cat Felis chaus in Indochina: a threatened population of a widespread and adaptable species. Biodiversity and Conservation 14: 1263–1280.

Duckworth, J. W., Timmins, R. J., Long, B., Yonzon, P., Roberton, S. & Tran Quang Phuong. 2008. Melogale personata. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 December 2008.

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Islam, Md. A., Chowdhury, G. W. & Belant, J. L. 2008. First record of the Large-toothed Ferret Badger Melogale personata in Bangladesh. Small Carnivore Conservation 39: 41–42.

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