Photographic evidence of the Large-toothed Ferret Badger Melogale personata I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (Carnivora: Musteliade) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

Abstract

Four specimens of the Large-toothed Ferret Badger Melogale personata I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire were found at separate sites in Marshyangdi Rural Municipality, Ward No 4, Srichaur, Tangring, Lamjung district, Nepal. The first individual was captured alive by local people on 4th January 2017 and the second was found dead on 17th January 2017. The third alive and fourth roadkilled specimens of M. personata were photographed from Marshyangdi Rural Municipality, on 9th July 2020, and 26th November 2021, respectively. The species was recorded at the border region of the Annapurna Conservation Area, approximately 203 km from Kathmandu in a tropical forest alongside the Marshyangdi River. The specimens were examined carefully and identified on a morphological basis. The present account represents the first authentic record of M. personata in the Annapurna Conservation Area, moreover also for Nepal.