Genetta cristata
Genetta cristata (Hayman, 1940)
Common name: crested servaline genet.
Synonyms: bini Rosevear, 1974.
Distribution: Cameroon, Nigeria; Gabon and Congo as potential zones of sympatry/intergradation with G. servalina.
Habitat: rain forest.
Sympatric species: G. maculata, G. "schoutedeni", P. richardsonii (G. servalina: uncertain).
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Teeth
- General aspect of the dentition : normal
- m2 : developed (similar to size of m1 talonid)
- M2 : present, well developed
- Flattening of the anterior region of the mandible : absent
- m1 talonid : developed (hypoconulid, entoconid and hypoconid present)
- P3 lingual cusp : present
Body proportion
Pads
Teats
Hair ultrastructure
- Cortex of dorsal guard hair (spatula) : thin (< 1/3 medulla width) ; thick (> 1/3 medulla width)
- Cross section shape of dorsal guard hair (base of spatula) : round or slightly ovoid
- Margin of the scales located in the middle of the spatula of dorsal guard hair : ?
- Shape of the scales located between the base and the middle of dorsal guard hair : ?
Coat
- Pair of wide median nuchal stripes : absent
- Coat of hindfoot : dark
- Coat of upper leg : same as ground coloration but dark posterior part
- Coat of inner upper leg : same as ground coloration
- Spots on upper leg : merged into fragmented horizontal lines
- Coat of forefoot : dark
- Coat of upper arm : same as ground coloration but dark posterior part
- Mid-dorsal crest : absent (similar length than adjacent dorsal hairs)
- Length of hairs on tail : short (from 20 to 30 mm)
- Tip of the tail : bright
- Chin : inferior chops bordered by a thin dark stripe
- Sagital (nuchal) crest : present
- Rings on tail : present
- Dorsal spots : present
- Number of bright rings on tail (not included, if present: i) short, distal bright ring, and ii) last bright ring covered with dark) : eight ; nine ; ten
- Relative width of the bright rings over the dark rings (middle of tail, dorsal view) : between 50 and 75 %
- Shape of the first dark rings of the tail : circle
- Distal part of the tail : alternation of dark and bright rings
- "Dirty"stripe longitudinally crossing the rings of the upper part of the tail : hardly visible
- Mid-dorsal line : present
- Longitudinal coalescence of the first row of dorsal spots (contiguous to mid-dorsal line) : weak,at the rump (fusion of 2-3 spots)
- Density of distribution of dorsal spots : high
- Mid-dorsal line, pattern : not a continuous stripe (one row of median spots)
- Mid-dorsal line, coloration : longitudinally crossed by a brighter (ground coloration) line
Skull
- Maxillary-palatine suture position in relation to main cusp of P3 : at the same level ; forward
- Premaxillary-maxillary suture position in relation to cusp of P1 : at the same level
- Ventral inflation of the caudal entotympanic bone (ceb) : strong (twice as much inflated than ectotympanic bone)
- Staphylinal fissure : V-shaped
- Interorbital constriction : intermediate (equal to 1 +/- 0.12)
- Posterior extension of the frontal bones, from post-orbital process to post-orbital constriction : moderated, overlapping ca. 50 % of the dorsal part of the interorbital constriction
- Premaxillary-frontal contact : absent ; present
- Shape of crest of insertion of temporal muscles (upper part of the parietal) : large stripe