The servaline genet (''Genetta servalina'') is a genet

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

native to

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

. As it is widely distributed and considered common, it is listed as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

Characteristics

The servaline genet's fur is rufous with black spots on neck, back and sides. Its feet are black. Its long tail is banded with wide black and narrow white rings.Pucheran, J. (1855)
''Genetta servalina''
Revue et magasin de zoologie pure et appliquée: 154. It is short-haired and has a dark broken stripe along the spine. The tip of its tail is bright.Gaubert, P., Taylor, P. J., & Veron, G. (2005)
Integrative taxonomy and phylogenetic systematics of the genets (Carnivora, Viverridae, ''Genetta''): a new classification of the most speciose carnivoran genus in Africa
In: Huber, B. A., Sinclair, B. J., Lampe, K.-H. (eds.) African Biodiversity: Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems. Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium of Tropical Biology, Museum König, Bonn. Springer. Pp. 371–383. Measurements of male museum specimens range from in head and body with a long tail. Females range from in head and body with a long tail.

Distribution and habitat

The servaline genet is distributed from the Sanaga River in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

southwards to the

Congo Basin The Congo Basin () is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the larg ...

and eastwards to

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. In the

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

, it was recorded by camera-traps in the Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic of Odzala-Kokoua National Park during surveys in 2007. In

's Udzungwa Mountains, a Lowe's servaline genet was recorded in 2000 and photographed in 2002 for the first time. In 2005, camera trap records were also obtained in the Uluguru and Nguru ranges at altitudes of . It is thought possible that it also occurs in other parts of the

Eastern Arc Mountains The Eastern Arc Mountains are a chain of mountains found in Kenya and Tanzania. The chain runs from northeast to southwest, with the Taita Hills being in Kenya and the other ranges being in Tanzania. They are delimited on the southwest by the fau ...

. The Zanzibar servaline genet is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Unguja Island,

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

, and became known to science in 1995 when a specimen was killed close to the

Jozani Jozani is a village located in Kusini District of Unguja South Region of the Tanzanian island of Unguja (Zanzibar Island). It is located in the southeast of the island, 3.1 miles (5 km) south of Chwaka Bay, close to the edge of the Jozani-Chwaka ...

forest. Several individuals were recorded by

camera trap A camera trap is a camera that is automatically triggered by motion in its vicinity, like the presence of an animal or a human being. It is typically equipped with a motion sensor—usually a passive infrared (PIR) sensor or an active infrared ...

s for the first time in January 2003 in the

Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park The Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park (''Hifahdi ya Taifa ya Jozani na Ghuba la Chwaka'', in Swahili language, Swahili) is a national park in Tanzania, with the IUCN protected area categories, IUCN category II and UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Pr ...

Taxonomy

The servaline genet was first described by

Jacques Pucheran Jacques Pucheran (2 June 1817 – 13 January 1895) was a French zoologist born in Clairac. He was a grandnephew to physiologist Étienne Serres (1786-1868). Pucheran accompanied the expedition on the ''Astrolabe'' between 1837 and 1840, under th ...

in 1855. Five

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are recognised: *''G. s. servalina'', the

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

*''G. s. bettoni'' (

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, 1902) *''G. s. schwarzi'' (Crawford-Cabral, 1970) *Lowe's servaline genet (''G. s. lowei'') ( Kingdon, 1977) was described on the basis of a single skin collected in 1932 in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. * Zanzibar servaline genet (''G. s. archeri'') (Van Rompaey and Colyn, 1998) The crested servaline genet (''G. cristata'') was also considered to be a subspecies of the servaline genet, but is now generally regarded as a distinct species.

References

External links

National Geographic: Rare African Predator Photographed for First Time
{{Taxonbar, from=Q43211 Genets (animals) Fauna of Central Africa Mammals described in 1855