English zoologistEdward Turner Bennett described this species in 1835. There are two subspecies.U. vitticolla vitticolla is from the provinces of Western Ghats, Coorg and Kerala, and has more of a reddish tint to its fur. The other,U. vitticolla inornata, is found in the Kanara province, and lacks a reddish tint to its fur.[2]
It is rusty brown to grizzled grey, has a stout body and short legs, a black stripe that runs laterally on both sides of its neck. Its short tail is mostly black, but grey at the base. Head to body length is 46–50 cm (18–20 in) with tail length of 32 cm (13 in). Males are larger and heavier than females with the weight of 3.1 kg (6.8 lb). Females weigh about 1.7 kg (3.7 lb).[3]
It is diurnal and feeds on frogs, crabs, mouse deer, black naped hares, rodents, fowl, and reptiles. It generally avoids human habitation. They usually inhabit in riparian habitats or near abandoned tanks. In Sri Lanka, they are sparsely found within protected ranges such as national parks and sanctuaries. However, populations are commonly found over 2,000 m (6,600 ft) altitude. Even though reproduction habits are unclear, pups have been noticed in mid-May.[3]
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Van Rompaey, H. & Jayakumar, M. N. (2003). The Stripe-necked Mongoose,Herpestes vitticollis. Small Carnivore Conservation 28: 14–17.
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Sreehari, R. & P.O. Nameer (2016). Small carnivores of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, southern Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(11): 9306–9315;https://dx.doi.org/10.11609/jott.2311.8.11.9306-9315
Nayak, A.K., M.V. Nair & P.P. Mohapatra (2014). Stripe-necked MongooseHerpestes vitticollis in Odisha, eastern India: A biogeographically significant record. Small Carnivore Conservation 51: 71–73.
