The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ISSN 2307-8235 (online)IUCN 2008: T41598A45205821
Dologale dybowskii, Pousargues's Mongoose
Assessment by: Aebischer, T., Hickisch, R., Woolgar, J. & Do Linh San, E.
View on www.iucnredlist.org
Citation: Aebischer, T., Hickisch, R., Woolgar, J. & Do Linh San, E. 2015. Dologale dybowskii. TheIUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T41598A45205821.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™
Taxonomy
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Herpestidae
Taxon Name: Dologale dybowskii (Pousargues, 1893)
Common Name(s):
• English: Pousargues's Mongoose, Savanna Mongoose• French: Mangouste de Dybowsky
Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria: Data Deficient ver 3.1
Year Published: 2015
Date Assessed: May 12, 2015
Justification:
This species is listed as Data Deficient because this species is known only from museum specimens and a
handful of sightings, its distribution range and (micro-)habitat preferences are unclear, and there is no
information on current population status or major threats. Up until very recently, it was entirely
plausible that the species could qualify as being at high risk of extinction, but it could also be going
undetected and actually be more common than thought. Recent records from Central African Republic
and Uganda lend some credence to the latter theory, suggesting that past confusion by observers with
Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula) may be responsible for the apparent paucity of records.
Ongoing studies will undoubtedly confirm whether this is the case or not, but in the interim the species
is tentatively retained as Data Deficient. Given that habitats encompassed in Pousargues's Mongoose
known range are relatively stable, if further research indeed confirms that the species is not as rare as
has been stated, then it is likely that it will warrant listing as Least Concern.
Previously Published Red List Assessments
2008 – Data Deficient (DD) – http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T41598A10491160.en
1996 – Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
Geographic Range
Range Description:
The exact range of this mongoose is uncertain, but it occurs in northeastern Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR), extreme southern South Sudan and Uganda (Aebischer et
al. 2013, Stuart and Stuart 2013, Woolgar 2014). It may occur further west than current records indicate.
Old specimens in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, were collected at 'Sanghe', but it is
not clear whether this is the district in the Congo Republic, or that in CAR (Schreiber et al. 1989).
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dologale dybowskii – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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Country Occurrence:
Native: Central African Republic; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; South Sudan; Uganda
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dologale dybowskii – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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Distribution Map
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dologale dybowskii – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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PopulationThis species is known from just 31 museum specimens and a handful of sightings. Until recent records
photographically documented by Aebischer et al. (2013) in CAR and Woolgar (2014) in Uganda, there
had been no known positive records for more than two decades (Stuart and Stuart 2013).
Current Population Trend: Unknown
Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)
It is apparently confined to a narrow belt of savanna–forest mosaic north of the equator. It is known to
occupy the thicketed shores of Lake Albert, as well as montane forest grasslands (Stuart and Stuart
2013). Kingdon (1977) suggested that this is a mongoose living in the ecotone between high forest and
lower rainfall wooded savanna. In the Chinko/Mbari drainage basin (CAR), Aebischer et al. (2013)
observed individuals in a mosaic of tropical wet savanna and deciduous tropical lowland forest, and
more precisely in an area that was dominated by savanna woodland. This species is probably essentially
diurnal and lives in—possibly loose—groups (Aebischer et al. 2013, Woolgar 2014), as observed in all
other species of Mungotinae (Veron et al. 2004, in press). This species perhaps uses termite mounds as
nocturnal shelters (Aebischer et al. 2013). Woolgar (2014) observed a group of eight individuals foraging
and reported that they generally pounced on insects on the ground, but at various times they all dug in
the loose soil and also turned over light stones along the path. Although they largely fed alone, they
remained in contact with a series of vocalisations reminiscent of other communal mongoose species.
Systems: Terrestrial
Use and TradeIt is unknown whether this species is used as bushmeat.
ThreatsCurrent potential threats to this species are unknown, but the fast and enormous increase of
transhumance in eastern CAR, northern DRC and western South Sudan might have a negative impact on
the population of Pousargues's Mongoose in the future.
Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)
The only protected areas from which this species has been recorded are the Garamba N. P. in
northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Chinko Project Area in Central African Republic, and
Semliki Wildlife Reserve (not to be confused with Semliki N. P.) in Uganda (Woolgar 2014). Lack of
knowledge of this species’ biology and habitat requirements make this a priority species for study
(Stuart and Stuart 2013).
Credits
Assessor(s): Aebischer, T., Hickisch, R., Woolgar, J. & Do Linh San, E.
Reviewer(s): Duckworth, J.W. & Hoffmann, M.
Contributor(s): Stuart, C., Stuart, M. & Hoffmann, M.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dologale dybowskii – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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BibliographyAebischer, T., Hickisch, R., Klimek, M. and Parkison, A. 2013. Probable records of Pousargues’s MongooseDologale dybowskii in the Chinko/Mbari drainage basin, Central African Republic. Small CarnivoreConservation 48: 101-103.
IUCN. 2015. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015-4. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org.(Accessed: 19 November 2015).
Kingdon, J. 1977. East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa. Volume IIIA (Carnivores).Academic Press, 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.
Stuart, C. and Stuart, T. 2013. Dologale dybowskii Pousargues's Mongoose (Savanna Mongoose). In: J.Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds), The Mammals of Africa. Volume V: Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids andRhinoceroses, pp. 364-365. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, UK.
Veron, G., Colyn, M., Dunham, A., Taylor, P. and Gaubert, P. 2004. Molecular systematics and origin ofsociality in mongooses (Herpestidae, Carnivora). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30: 582-598.
Veron, G., Patou, M.-L. and Jennings, A.P. In press. Systematics and evolution of the mongooses(Herpestidae, Carnivora). In: E. Do Linh San, J.J. Sato, J.L. Belant and M.J. Somers (eds), Small Carnivores:Evolution, Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK.
Woolgar, J. 2014. A confirmed sighting of Pousargues's Mongoose Dologale dybowskii. Small CarnivoreConservation 51: 1-3.
CitationAebischer, T., Hickisch, R., Woolgar, J. & Do Linh San, E. 2015. Dologale dybowskii. The IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species 2015: e.T41598A45205821. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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External ResourcesFor Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dologale dybowskii – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.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 - Unknown -
1. Forest -> 1.9. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane - Unknown -
2. Savanna -> 2.1. Savanna - Dry - Unknown -
4. Grassland -> 4.7. Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude - Unknown -
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: Yes
Conservation Actions Needed(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Conservation Actions Needed
1. Land/water protection -> 1.1. Site/area protection
2. Land/water management -> 2.1. Site/area management
Research Needed(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends
1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology
1. Research -> 1.5. Threats
3. Monitoring -> 3.1. Population trends
3. Monitoring -> 3.4. Habitat trends
Additional Data Fields
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dologale dybowskii – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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Population
Population severely fragmented: Unknown
Habitats and Ecology
Generation Length (years): 4
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dologale dybowskii – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ISSN 2307-8235 (online)IUCN 2008: T41598A45205821
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™
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dologale dybowskii – published in 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41598A45205821.en
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