Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Moschiola

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Scientific name
  
Moschiola

Higher classification
  
Chevrotain

Order
  
Even-toed ungulate

Family
  
Tragulidae

Phylum
  
Chordata

Rank
  
Genus

Moschiola httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Lower classifications
  
Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain, Indian spotted chevrotain

Indian spotted chevrotain moschiola indica


Spotted chevrotains (Moschiola) are a genus of small even-toed ungulates in the family Tragulidae. They are found in forests in India, Sri Lanka and perhaps Nepal, and have pale-spotted or -striped upperparts unlike the other Asian members of the family, the mouse-deer of the genus Tragulus.

In former times, the genus was usually treated as monotypic. Described as Moschus meminna, for most of the time the name Tragulus meminna was used, but changed to Moschiola meminna eventually. In the 21st century, this is increasingly divided into up to three parapatric species:

  • Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain, M. meminna sensu stricto, in the drier parts of Sri Lanka
  • Indian spotted chevrotain, M. indica, on the South Asian mainland north to Nepal
  • Yellow-striped chevrotain, M. kathygre, in the humid parts of Sri Lanka
  • References

    Moschiola Wikipedia