Brown-tailed vontsira Salanoia concolor (Eupleridae) documented in Makira Natural Park, Madagascar: new insights on distribution and camera-trap success

摘要: Photographic evidence of Brown-tailed Vontsira Salanoia concolor within the Makira Natural Park, northeastern Madagascar, extends the species’s known range north and west 60–70 km from previous records and expands its maximum known elevation some 30 m higher, to a recorded elevation of 680 m. Salanoia concolor was photographed during two camera-trap surveys (2008, 2010) in the Anjanaharibe region (15 12'09" S, 49 37'20" E) of Makira Natural Park at a total of 10 camera-stations across a 20-station (2008) and 25-station (2010) grid. In addition, S. concolor was camera-trapped at four stations within a new camera grid located at 15 16'52" S, 49 46'04" E, 15 km southeast of the Anjanaharibe study site, within degraded forest near the villages of Andongana and Sahavary. Salanoia concolor captures and camera-trap success decreased from the 2008 survey (N= 10 and 0.8, SE±0.2, respectively) to 2010 (N= 4 and 0.6, SE±0.4, respectively). Co-occurrence of Salanoia concolor with humans and with domestic dogs Canis familiaris was minimal. Likewise, camera-stations recording S. concolor did not overlap with those few recording introduced cats Felis silvestris and/or F. catus (three) or the introduced Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica (one). These observations suggest efforts are needed to minimise human encroachment, and to control the spread of introduced carnivores within the natural park.