Hystrix pumila, Gunther, 1879
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6612213 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6612196 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A91B1C-C155-4A64-C97B-F83B9BD4629A |
treatment provided by |
Carolina |
scientific name |
Hystrix pumila |
status |
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Philippine Porcupine
French: Porc-épic des Philippines / German: Palawan-Stachelschwein / Spanish: Puercoespin de Filipinas
Other common names: Indonesian Porcupine, Palawan Porcupine, Philippine Short-tailed Porcupine
Taxonomy. Hystrix pumila Gunther, 1879 View in CoL ,
“Puerto Princesa, in the island of Paragua [= Palawan],” Philippines.
Placed in subgenus Thecurus . Monotypic.
Distribution. SW Philippines, endemic on Palawan and adjacent Busuanga and Balabac Is. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 450-665 mm, tail 64-190 mm, ear 31 mm (one individual), hindfoot 69 mm (one individual); weight 3.8-5.4 kg. The Philippine Porcupineis the smallest species of Hystrix . Spiny covering of bodyis poorly developed, with very small quills,tactile bristles, and rattle-quills and only a small number of quills on back. Like other species of Hystrix , tail has rattle-quills. Lengths of hollow capsulelike parts of rattle-quills are 10-11 mm. There is no crest on head. Maximum diameters of thickest defensive quills on back are 4-5 mm, and they are colored as single dark bands with no white tips. Absence of white tips on long quills of back differentiates Philippine Porcupines from Sumatran Porcupines and Thick-spined Porcupines.
Habitat. There is no information available for this species.
Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Population of the Philippine Porcupine is expected to decline by more than 30% in the next three generations, based on rate of forest loss and numbers of individuals taken for bushmeat and the pet trade. The Philippine Porcupine is the most important game species of the Tagbanwa people and is often dug out of subterranean dens. Endemic island rodents such as the Philippine Porcupine may be particularly at risk of extinction and require further study.
Bibliography. Amori, Gippoliti & Helgen (2008), Corbet & Hill (1992), Esselstyn et al. (2004), Heaney et al. (2008), Nowak (1999a), Storch (1990), van Weers (1978), Woods & Kilpatrick (2005).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.