Viverridae Author Don E. Wilson Author Russell A. Mittermeier text 2009 2009-01-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores 174 232 book chapter 3398 10.5281/zenodo.5714564 1b851f83-a5d0-4e03-a1ba-95c846dd3a31 978-84-96553-49-1 5714564 8. Central African Oyan Poiana richardsonii French: Poiane de Richardson / German: Zentralafrikanischer Linsang / Spanish: Oyan Other common names: African Linsang , Richardson's Linsang Taxonomy. Genetta richardsonii Thomson, 1842 , Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea . Has been considered conspecific with Leighton’s Oyan ( P. leightoni ). Two subspecies are recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. P. r. richardsonii Thomson, 1842 — Cameroon , Central African Republic , Equatorial Guinea (and Bioko I), Gabon , and PR Congo . P. r. ochracea Thomas & Wroughton, 1907 — DR Congo . Descriptive notes. Head—body 32.1-40 cm (males), 34.6-39. 5 cm (females), tail 35-2— 40-2 cm (males), 34.0-38 cm (females), hindfoot 5.7-6. 4 cm (males), 5.7-6. 1 cm (females), ear 2:9.3-7 cm (males), 3.3-4 cm (females); weight 510-750 g (males), 455 g (females). A small, slender genetlike carnivore, with a short, soft pelage. The coat color is yellowishto reddish-brown, with small, brownish-black spots of various shapes and sizes on the back and flanks, coalescing into stripes on the neck. These spots do not form longitudinal lines and are very small on the thighs and forelimbs. There is a dark mid-dorsal line, sometimes interrupted or absent. The ventral pelage is pale gray and unspotted. The head has a pointed muzzle, a gray rhinarium, wide rounded ears, and large yellowish-brown eyes. The feet are grayish, unmarked, and with hairy soles (except for the digital pads and a narrow bare line on the plantar surface). The tail has 9-14 alternating broad and narrow black bands, interspersed with pale rings. Dental formula: 13/3,C1/1,P4/4,M 1/2 =38. Habitat. Lowland and montane forest. Food and Feeding. Said to eat rodents, birds, insects, fruits, and other plant matter. Activity patterns. Thought to be nocturnal. Has been observed sleeping on thick tangled vines in trees. On Bioko Island, at 17:10 h, an individual was observed walking in a dry, rocky streambed with little vegetation, before it fled to the forest. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Thought to be arboreal. Breeding. A lactating female has been noted in October. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. A poorly known species and field studies are needed. There are no known major threats, but it may be undergoing localized decline due to forest loss and hunting for bushmeat and skins. Bibliography. Bates (1905), Carpaneto & Germi (1989b), Halternorth & Diller (1985), Harrington et al. (2002), Rosevear (1974), Van Rompaey & Colyn (In press i), Wozencraft, (2005).