Thesmall Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is amongoosespecies native toIraq and northern India; it has also been introduced to severalCaribbean andPacific islands.[1]
Herpestes palustris proposed by R. K. Ghose in 1965 was an adult male mongoose collected in a swamp on the eastern fringe ofKolkata,India.[4]
The small Indian mongoose was later classified in the genusHerpestes; all Asian mongooses are now classified the genusUrva.[5]
The small Indian mongoose was once considered asubspecies of theJavan mongoose (H. javanicus).[6]Genetic analysis of hair and tissue samples from 18 small Indian and Javan mongooses revealed that they form twoclades and are distinct species.[7]
The small Indian mongoose's body is slender, and the head is elongated with a pointed snout. The length of the head and body is 509–671 mm (20.0–26.4 in). The ears are short. The feet have five toes and long claws. Sexes differ in size, with males having a wider head and bigger bodies.[8]
It can be distinguished from the oftensympatricIndian grey mongoose (U. edwardsii) by its somewhat smaller size. Populations on islands throughout the world have increased in size andsexual dimorphism, resembling populations in the east of their range, where they have no ecological competitors.[9]Introduced populations show genetic diversification due togenetic drift and isolation.[10]
In 1872, nine small Indian mongooses were introduced toJamaica from India to controlblack (Rattus rattus) andbrown rats (R. norvegicus) onsugarcane plantations. They reproduced within a few months.[20]In the 1800s, sugarcane plantations were established on many Pacific islands such asHawaii andFiji. Sugarcane attractedrats, which caused widespread crop failure and loss. Attempts to introduce the small Indian mongoose onTrinidad in 1870 for the purpose of rat control were not successful.[21]From 1870 onwards, it was introduced to all of theGreater Antilles islands includingCuba,Hispaniola, Jamaica,Puerto Rico,Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to reduce crop damage.[22][23] This introduction had a negative impact on the native fauna, as populations ofendemic reptiles greatly decreased in number like thegreen iguana (Iguana iguana); the ground lizard (Ameiva polops) had been eliminated from the island of St. Croix by 1962. Ground-nesting birds, terrestrialrock iguanas and small mammals likehutias andsolenodons were likely also affected.[22] Native snakes have been largely extirpated on many of the Caribbean islands where mongooses were introduced, and now only exist on remote offshore islands; at least one snake species in St. Croix may now be extinct.[24]
Offspring from Jamaican small Indian mongooses were shipped to plantations on other islands.[20]Early 1900s accounts claimed that introduced mongooses were effective at reducing the number of rats, mice and insects.[25] However, the mongooses also preyed on native birds that had evolved in the absence of any mammalian predators. The mongooses also raided the nests ofgreen sea turtles to consume eggs and turtle hatchlings.[26]
The small Indian mongoose was introduced toOkinawa Island in 1910 and also toAmami Ōshima Island in 1979 in an attempt to control the venomous pit viperProtobothrops flavoviridis and other perceived 'pests'; the mongoose has since become a pest itself.[27]
On September 3, 2024, theMinistry of the Environment announced that the small Indian mongoose had been eradicated from Amami Ōshima.[28]
The small Indian mongoose was introduced to theMljet island in 1910 by order of theAustro-Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. After quarantine, seven males and four females were released nearGoveđari and introduced toKorčula,Pelješac,Brač andŠolta between 1921 and 1927; the population of thehorned viper (Vipera ammodytes) decreased significantly in 20 years and the mongooses started preying more onresident andmigratory birds, and also on domesticpoultry.[29] Around 1970, the mongoose inhabitedHvar and spread rapidly. It did not survive on Brač and Šolta, but it did appear onČiovo.[30]The mongoose is consideredvermin, but neither thebounties offered nor the introduction ofwild boars to the island helped to reduce the population.[31]
Small Indian mongooses in northern Okinawa Island were infected withLeptospira[34] and antibiotic-resistant strains ofEscherichia coli.[35]The small Indian mongoose is a majorrabies vector in Puerto Rico, but transmission to humans is low.[36]
^Ghose, R. K. (1965). "A new species of mongoose (Mammalia: Carnivora: Viverridae) from West Bengal, India".Proceedings of the Zoological Society of Calcutta.18 (2):173–178.
^Hatt, R.T. (1959). "Biotic Provinces of Iraq".The Mammals of Iraq. 106. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Museum of Zoology. pp. 13–16.
^Abass, A.F. (2013).The relative abundance and biological indicators of mammals' community in east Hammar (M.Sc. Thesis). Basra, Iraq: University of Basra, Iraq.
^Karami, M.; Hutterer, R.; Benda, P.; Siahsarvie, R. & Kryštufek, B. (2008). "Annotated check-list of the mammals of Iran".Lynx. Nova.39 (1):63–102.
^Mahmood, T. & Nadeem, M.S. (2011). "Population estimates, habitat preference and the diet of small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) in Potohar Plateau, Pakistan".Pakistan Journal of Zoology.43 (1):103–111.
^abMahmood, T. & Adil, A. (2017). "Diet composition of small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) varies seasonally in its native range".Animal Biology.67 (1):69–80.doi:10.1163/15707563-00002516.
^Horst, G. R.; Hoagland, D. B. & Kilpatrick, C. W. (1989). "The Mongoose in the West Indies: The biogeography and population biology of an introduced species". In Woods, C. A. & Sergile, F. E. (eds.).Biogeography of the West Indies. Gainesville, Florida: Sand Hill Crane Press. pp. 409–424.ISBN978-1-4200-3948-1.
^abSeaman, G. A.; Randall, J. E. (1962). "The Mongoose as a Predator in the Virgin Islands".Journal of Mammalogy.43 (4):544–546.doi:10.2307/1376922.JSTOR1376922.
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