12.

Roosevelts’ Muntjac

Muntiacus rooseveltorum

French: Muntjac des Roosevelt / German: Roosevelt-Muntjak / Spanish: Muntiaco de Roosevelt

Taxonomy. Muntiacus rooseveltorum Osgood, 1932,

Muong Yo (Laos).

It was collected for the first time by H. G. Coolidge in 1929 during the Kelley-Roosevelt Asiatic Expedition and was dedicated to the brothers Kermit and Theodore Jr., who sponsored and led the scientific mission. It was rediscovered in 1996. Monotypic.

Distribution. Laos, possibly also in Viet nam and S China.

Descriptive notes. Nospecific body measurements available. Small muntjac, estimated shoulder height of about 40 cm, with short pedicles (4 cm in length) and tiny unbranched antlers (about 2 cm long). Females with well-developed upper canines. The coat is dark brown to black, with an orange-brown frontal tuft; ocher color on face and throat. The tail is brown dorsally.

Habitat. More common in forests over 1000 m above sea level.

Food and Feeding. Browser and fruit-eater.

Breeding. As with several other species of muntjac, the lack of systematic clarity makes it impossible to obtain reliable ecological data.

Activity patterns. Nothing is known; see above.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Nothing is known; see above.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Lust, possibly decreasing because of overhunting.

Bibliography. Amato, Egan & Schaller (2000), Amato, Egan, Schaller, Baker et al. (1999), Francis (2008), Timmins, Duckworth & Long (2008a).