Records of Rusty-Spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India

Abstract

The Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is the smallest cat in the world and restricted to the Indian subcontinent. Although it has been recorded across India, its ecology is poorly understood. In the northwestern state of Rajasthan, it has been recorded in the dry deciduous forest landscapes of Udaipur, Sariska, and Ranthambore. We report camera trap records of the Rusty-Spotted Cat in semi evergreen and dry deciduous forests in Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan. In the current study from September 2017 to April 2018, out of 1,800 camera trapping nights the species was recorded on ten occasions, at four different locations in Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary.