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 12. Crested Genet Genetta cristata French: Genette a créte / German: Niger-Genette / Spanish: Gineta crestada Taxonomy. Genetta cristata Hayman, 1940 , Cameroon . Previously included as a subspecies of the Servaline Genet ( G. servalina ). Hybridization between G. cristata and G. servalina may be occurring in a sympatric zone: central Cameroon , northern Gabon , and the PR Congo . Monotypic. Distribution. Cameroon , Nigeria , and possibly Gabon and the PR Congo . Descriptive notes. Head-body 49.5-62. 2 cm , tail 43.1-43. 2 cm , ear 8.6-9. 5 cm ; weight c. 2-5 kg. The coat color ranges from pale buff to pale ocher, darkening to ocher on the shoulders and the middle line of the back. The throat is a light ash-gray; the remaining underparts a mixture of buff and gray, paling to ash-gray in the genital region. The black mid-dorsal line is composed of relatively long hairs; it begins after the shoulder and runs to the base of the tail. There is a dorsal erectile crest. The large dark brown to black spots on the dorsal pelage run in longitudinal rows, with the top three rows being the most uniform. These spots become smaller and more randomly spaced towards the ventral pelage, where the chest and throat have only a few small spots; there are no spots between the hindlegs. The hair covering the scrotum in the male is dark brown. The face has a dark mask and a pair of supraand sub-ocular white spots. The tail has eight to ten pale rings alternating with dark rings. The width of the pale rings relative to the dark rings in the middle of the tail is 50-75%; the tip of the tail is pale gray. The forelimbs and hindlimbs are boldly spotted. The forelegs are pale on the innermost side and dark gray above, with scattered small spots. The inner hindlegs are dark gray, unspotted, and have a grayish patch over the upper metatarsal region. The feet are dark. There is one pair of teats. The auditory bulla has a ventrally inflated posterior chamber, with a continuous curve line on the externalside. The premaxillary-frontal contact is present and the ratio between the inter-orbital constriction and frontal width is 1:00 + 0-12. Dental formula: 13/3,C1/1,P4/4,M 2/2 = 40. Habitat. Deciduous forest, where there are areas of scrub and dense understory vegetation. Also recorded in secondary and montane forest. Found up to at least 1000 m . In Nigeria , its presence was positively correlated to primary dry forest and bush-mango plantations inside the forest, and to a lesser extent secondary dry forest and primary flooded forest. Suburban areas, pineapple plantations, bushlands, and oil palm plantations, had a negative influence. Ecological niche modelling has expanded the potential range to at least 500 km south and 180 km west from what was previously known.Its apparent absence east of the Congo and Oubangi rivers might be due to lack of survey effort, low dispersal abilities, or riverine geographical barriers. Food and Feeding. In Nigeria , the percentage occurrence of prey itemsin eleven stomachs was: 51% insects, 20% mammals, 9% reptiles, and 6% plant matter. In terms of biomass, small mammals were the most important prey items, followed by arthropods; there is a 70% overlap in diet with the sympatric Rusty-spotted Genet, indicating strong interspecific competition for food between these two species. Two captive genets were observed pursuing and pouncing on small insects, frogs, and lizards. Activity patterns. Captive individuals were crepuscular, resting throughout the day. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Captive animals are agile climbers, spending the majority of their time in high places. They defecated and urinated in one place. They also scent-marked while urinating, slowly moving the pelvis from side-to-side, and rolled and rubbed themselves in smells or substances to which they were attracted. Four vocalizations were noted: a purr and growl; a long meow; a short squeak; and a short sneeze/cough/grunt (used as a contact call). Breeding. In Nigeria , one-week-old juveniles were captured in late August and mid-October, and two embryos were found in a female collected in December. Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Habitat loss may be a major threat: the Cross River State forests are rapidly being converted into farms or wastelands and the Niger Delta is exploited as an oil-production area. May also suffer from high hunting pressure. This species is a high priority for further survey work in order to better understand its ecology, distribution, and population status. Bibliography. Angelici & Luiselli (2005), Gaubert, Fernandes et al. (2004), Gaubert, Papes & Peterson (2006), Gaubert, Taylor & Veron (2005), Gaubert, Veron & Tranier (2002), Heard & Van Rompaey (1990), Rosevear (1974), Van Rompaey & Colyn (In press e), Wozencraft (2005).