The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is a
mongoosespecies native to
Iraq and northern India; it has also been introduced to several
Caribbean and
Pacific islands.[1]
Herpestes palustris proposed by R. K. Ghose in 1965 was an adult male mongoose collected in a swamp on the eastern fringe of
Kolkata,
India.[4]
The small Indian mongoose was later classified in the genus Herpestes; all Asian mongooses are now classified the genus Urva.[5]
The small Indian mongoose was once considered a
subspecies of the
Javan mongoose (H. javanicus).[6]
Genetic analysis of hair and tissue samples from 18 small Indian and Javan mongooses revealed that they form two
clades and are distinct species.[7]
Characteristics
The small Indian mongoose's body is slender, and the head is elongated with a pointed snout. The length of the head and body is 509–671 millimetres (20.0–26.4 in). The ears are short. The feet have five toes and long claws. Sexes differ in size, with males having a wider head and bigger bodies.[8]
It can be distinguished from the often
sympatricIndian grey mongoose (U. edwardsii) by its somewhat smaller size. Populations on islands throughout the world have increased in size and
sexual dimorphism, resembling populations in the east of their range, where they have no ecological competitors.[9]
Introduced populations show genetic diversification due to
genetic drift and population isolation.[10]
In 2016, the
European Commission added the small Indian mongoose to the annual list of invasive and alien species.[19]
Introduction to Caribbean
In 1872, nine small Indian mongooses were introduced to
Jamaica from India to control
black (Rattus rattus) and
brown rats (R. norvegicus) on
sugarcane plantations. They reproduced within a few months.[20]
In the 1800s, sugarcane plantations were established on many Pacific islands such as
Hawaii and
Fiji. Sugarcane attracted
rats, which caused widespread crop failure and loss. Attempts to introduce the small Indian mongoose on
Trinidad in 1870 for the purpose of rat control were not successful.[21]
From 1870 onwards, it was introduced to all of the
Greater Antilles islands including
Cuba,
Hispaniola, Jamaica,
Puerto Rico,
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to reduce crop damage.[22][23] This introduction had a negative impact on the native fauna, as populations of
endemic reptiles greatly decreased in number like the
green iguana (Iguana iguana); the ground lizard (Ameiva polops) had been eliminated from the island of St. Croix by 1962. Ground-nesting birds, terrestrial
rock iguanas and small mammals like
hutias and
solenodons were likely also affected.[22] Native snakes have been largely extirpated on many of the Caribbean islands where mongooses were introduced, and now only exist on remote offshore islands; at least one snake species in St. Croix may now be extinct.[24]
Introduction to Hawaii
Offspring from Jamaican small Indian mongooses were shipped to plantations on other islands.[20]
Early 1900s accounts claimed that introduced mongooses were effective at reducing the number of rats, mice and insects.[25] However, the mongooses also preyed on native birds that had evolved in the absence of any mammalian predators. The mongooses also raided the nests of
green sea turtles to consume eggs and turtle hatchling.[26]
Introduction to Okinawa
In 1910, the small Indian mongoose was introduced to
Okinawa Island, and in 1979 also to
Amami Ōshima Island in an attempt to control the venomous pit viper Protobothrops flavoviridis and other perceived 'pests'; the mongoose has since become a pest itself.[27]
Introduction to Dalmatian islands
The small Indian mongoose was introduced to the
Mljet island in 1910, by order of the
Austro-Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. After quarantine, seven males and four females were released near
Goveđari and introduced to
Korčula,
Pelješac,
Brač and
Šolta between 1921 and 1927; the population of the
horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) decreased significantly in 20 years, and the mongooses started preying more on
resident and
migratory birds, and also on domestic
poultry.[28] Around 1970, the mongoose inhabited
Hvar and spread rapidly. It did not survive on Brač and Šolta, but it did appear on
Čiovo.[29]
The mongoose is considered
vermin, but neither
bounties offered, nor introduction of
wild boars to the island helped reducing the population.[30]
Behaviour and ecology
The small Indian mongoose uses about 12 different vocalizations.[31]
Small Indian mongooses in northern Okinawa Island were found to be infected with Leptospira[33] and antibiotic-resistant strains of Escherichia coli.[34]
The small Indian mongoose is a major
rabies vector in Puerto Rico, but transmission to humans is low.[35]
^Ghose, R. K. (1965). "A new species of mongoose (Mammalia: Carnivora: Viverridae) from West Bengal, India". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of Calcutta. 18 (2): 173–178.
^Thulin, C.G.; Simberloff, D.; Barun, A.; McCracken, G.; Pascal, M.; Anwarul Islam, M. (2006). "Genetic divergence in the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), a widely distributed invasive species". Molecular Ecology. 15 (13): 3947–3956.
doi:
10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03084.x.
PMID17054495.
S2CID27623208.
^Hatt, R.T. (1959). "Biotic Provinces of Iraq". The Mammals of Iraq. 106. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Museum of Zoology. pp. 13–16.
^Abass, A.F. (2013). The relative abundance and biological indicators of mammals' community in east Hammar (M.Sc. Thesis). Basra, Iraq: University of Basra, Iraq.
^Karami, M.; Hutterer, R.; Benda, P.; Siahsarvie, R. & Kryštufek, B. (2008). "Annotated check-list of the mammals of Iran". Lynx. Nova. 39 (1): 63–102.
^Mahmood, T. & Nadeem, M.S. (2011). "Population estimates, habitat preference and the diet of small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) in Potohar Plateau, Pakistan". Pakistan Journal of Zoology. 43 (1): 103–111.
^
abMahmood, T. & Adil, A. (2017). "Diet composition of small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) varies seasonally in its native range". Animal Biology. 67 (1): 69–80.
doi:
10.1163/15707563-00002516.
^Horst, G. R.; Hoagland, D. B. & Kilpatrick, C. W. (1989). "The Mongoose in the West Indies: The biogeography and population biology of an introduced species". In Woods, C. A. & Sergile, F. E. (eds.). Biogeography of the West Indies. Gainesville, Florida: Sand Hill Crane Press. pp. 409–424.
ISBN9781420039481.
^
abSeaman, G. A.; Randall, J. E. (1962). "The Mongoose as a Predator in the Virgin Islands". Journal of Mammalogy. 43 (4): 544–546.
doi:
10.2307/1376922.
JSTOR1376922.