Assessment by: Gaubert, P. & Do Linh San, E.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ISSN 2307-8235 (online)IUCN 2008: T44165A45220840

Poiana leightoni, West African Oyan

Assessment by: Gaubert, P. & Do Linh San, E.

View on www.iucnredlist.org

Citation: Gaubert, P. & Do Linh San, E. 2015. Poiana leightoni. The IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies 2015: e.T44165A45220840. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T44165A45220840.en

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Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Viverridae

Taxon Name: Poiana leightoni Pocock, 1908

Synonym(s):

• Poiana richardsonii subspecies liberiensis Pocock, 1908

Common Name(s):

• English: West African Oyan, Leighton's Linsang, West African Linsang• French: Poiane d'Afrique occidentale

Taxonomic Notes:

This species has been considered a subspecies of Central African Oyan P. richardsonii, but is here

considered a valid species following Rosevear (1974), Wozencraft (2005) and Van Rompaey and Colyn

(2013).

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria: Vulnerable C1 ver 3.1

Year Published: 2015

Date Assessed: April 20, 2015

Justification:

West African Oyan is listed as Vulnerable based on a likely total population of 6,700–10,000 mature

individuals (roughly estimated based on a range area of ca 50,000 km², an average population density

highly unlikely to exceed 2–3 individuals/10 km², and a proportion of mature individuals of 67%) and a

likely population decline of at least 10% over the last 12 years (assuming a generation length of four

years) based on the loss of habitat within its range in the upper Guinea forests, combined with the

impacts of hunting.

Previously Published Red List Assessments

2008 – Data Deficient (DD) – http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T44165A10855845.en

1996 – Data Deficient (DD)

1996 – Data Deficient (DD)

1994 – Indeterminate (I)



Geographic Range

© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Poiana leightoni – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T44165A45220840.en

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Range Description:

West African Oyan is endemic to West Africa. It is confirmed only in south-western Côte d’Ivoire, where

it is known from two records; and in eastern Liberia, where there are several records (Van Rompaey and

Colyn 2013). The presence of this species in the Kounounkan Massif in south-western Guinea (Barnett et

al. 1996) requires confirmation (Van Rompaey and Colyn 2013). There is no confirmed record of the

species from Sierra Leone.

Country Occurrence:

Native: Côte d'Ivoire; Liberia


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Distribution Map


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PopulationThere is no reliable information on the population status of this species. Apparently it is rare and very

localised (Rosevear 1974). The most recent confirmed records are from Liberia in the late 1980s (Taylor

1992), but no serious search effort has been undertaken since then. The species has apparently not

been reported from bushmeat markets over the past 25 years; this might reflect the limited number of

surveys within and around its known range and/or the fact that the arboreal behaviour of this species

takes it out of the range of most of the hunting effort.

Current Population Trend: Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)

An inhabitant of the rainforest canopy (Van Rompaey and Colyn 2013), where it apparently builds nests

at a height of at least 2 m above the ground in which to sleep during the day (H.-J. Kuhn in Nowak 1999).

Systems: Terrestrial

Use and TradeSpecimens have been collected from hunters, but it is unclear whether this species is used as bushmeat,

for its pelt or in traditional medicine.

Threats (see Appendix for additional information)

Like Johnston's Genet (Genetta johnstoni), Bourlon's Genet (G. bourloni) and Liberian Mongoose

(Liberiictis kuhni), this species is believed to be affected by ongoing habitat loss in the upper Guinean

forests, possibly more so given that it is a canopy species. It is unclear to what degree this semi-arboreal

species is impacted by bushmeat hunting, but this could be a threat since most of the specimens

collected during field expeditions were acquired from hunters.

Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)

It may occur in the Sangbé National Park (NP) in Côte d’Ivoire (Hoppe-Dominik 1990) and the type

locality is not far away from the northern boundary of Liberia’s Sapo NP (Schreiber et al. 1989). This is a

priority species for further survey work, particularly to determine its current range and population

status, whether or not it is subject to damaging levels of hunting, and to investigate other aspects of its

ecology. It is presently too poorly known to define relevant conservation needs.

Credits

Assessor(s): Gaubert, P. & Do Linh San, E.

Reviewer(s): Duckworth, J.W. & Hoffmann, M.

Contributor(s): Dunham, A. & Hoffmann, M.


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BibliographyBarnett, A.A., Prangley, M.L., Hayman, P.V., Diawara, D. and Koman, J. 1996. A note on the mammals ofthe Kounounkan massif, south-western Guinea, West Africa. Journal of African Zoology 110: 235-240.

Hoppe-Dominik, B. 1990. On the occurrence of the Honey-badger (Mellivora capensis) and the viverridsin the Ivory Coast. Mustelid & Viverrid Conservation 3: 9-13.

IUCN. 2015. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015-4. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org.(Accessed: 19 November 2015).

Nowak, R.M. (ed.) 1999. Walkers Mammals of the World. Sixth edition. The Johns Hopkins UniversityPress, Baltimore and London.

Rosevear, D.R. 1974. The Carnivores of West Africa. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History),London, UK.

Schreiber, A., Wirth, R., Riffel, M. and Van Rompaey, H. 1989. Weasels, civets, mongooses, and theirrelatives. An Action Plan for the conservation of mustelids and viverrids. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Taylor, M.E. 1992. The Liberian mongoose. Oryx 26: 103-106.

Van Rompaey, H. and Colyn, M. 2013. Poiana leightoni West African Linsang (West African Oyan). In: J.Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds), The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids andRhinoceroses, Bloomsbury, London, UK.

Wozencraft, W.C. 2005. Order Carnivora. In: D.E. Wilson and D.M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of theWorld: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third Edition, pp. 532-628. Smithsonian InstitutionPress, Washington, DC, USA.

CitationGaubert, P. & Do Linh San, E. 2015. Poiana leightoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015:e.T44165A45220840. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T44165A45220840.en

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Appendix

Habitats(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)

Habitat Season SuitabilityMajorImportance?

1. Forest -> 1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable Yes

Threats(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)

Threat Timing Scope Severity Impact Score

5. Biological resource use -> 5.1. Hunting & trappingterrestrial animals -> 5.1.1. Intentional use (species isthe target)

Ongoing Minority (50%) Causing/couldcause fluctuations

Low impact: 5

Stresses: 2. Species Stresses -> 2.1. Species mortality

5. Biological resource use -> 5.3. Logging & woodharvesting -> 5.3.5. MotivationUnknown/Unrecorded

Ongoing Minority (50%) Slow, significantdeclines

Low impact: 5

Stresses: 1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion

1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation

2. Species Stresses -> 2.2. Species disturbance

Conservation Actions in Place(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)

Conservation Actions in Place

In-Place Land/Water Protection and Management

Occur in at least one PA: Unknown

Research Needed(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)

Research Needed

1. Research -> 1.1. Taxonomy

1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends

1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology

1. Research -> 1.5. Threats

Additional Data Fields


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Population

Number of mature individuals: 6700-10000

Continuing decline of mature individuals: Yes

Extreme fluctuations: Unknown

Population severely fragmented: No

Continuing decline in subpopulations: Unknown

Extreme fluctuations in subpopulations: Unknown

All individuals in one subpopulation: No

Habitats and Ecology

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat: Yes

Generation Length (years): 4


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The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ISSN 2307-8235 (online)IUCN 2008: T44165A45220840

The IUCN Red List Partnership

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species

Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership.

The IUCN Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International;

Conservation International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of

Rome; Texas A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.

THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™


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Assessment by: Gaubert, P. & Do Linh San, E.

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Transcript of Assessment by: Gaubert, P. & Do Linh San, E.