Paradoxurus stenocephalus


Paradoxurus stenocephalus, or the golden dry-zone palm civet, is a viverrid species point endemic to Sri Lanka where it is known as ශ්‍රී ලංකා රන් කලවැද්දා in Sinhala. It was considered as the same species as Paradoxurus aureus, but confined to new species status in 2009.

Description

Body color is golden brown as its relative P. aureus, but is distinguished by having dark brown stripes from the shoulder to the base of the tail. Ventral area is pale golden brown and can be easily separated due to clear color phases in dorsal and ventral areas.

Distribution

It is believed that the animal can be found in Wilpattu National Park, Haputale, and nearby cities.

Taxonomy

Initially, all three endemic civet species in Sri Lanka were classified as a single species, Paradoxurus zeylonensis, but based on phylogenetic experiments, genetic makeup, and morphogenetics, in 2009 they were reclassified into three separate species in the same genus: Paradoxurus stenocephalus, Paradoxurus montanus, and Paradoxurus aureus.