Abstract:
Since its first appearance in the second half of the 1980s, the Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) has spread along the entire coastline of Montenegro, from the Croatian border in the north to the Albanian border in the south. Its present range includes an area of 447.3 km2 and is limited to the narrow coastal zone up to 300 m above sea level. The distribution of this species generally corresponds to the thick Mediterranean maquis and garigue vegetation. The Small Indian Mongoose spread to the territory of Montenegro through natural immigration from neighboring Croatia, where it was introduced in the past. The southward expansion along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea has increased the previously known European range by about 150 km in the last 20 years. The appearance of this species in the “Adriatic triangle”, one of the most important European centers herpetofauna diversity, could lead to catastrophic consequences for this fauna.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Marijan Grubešić for the data on present status of mongoose in Croatia. The authors are very grateful to Jovan Popović, Marko Raković, Branko Stojić, David Bird and Dr. Vladimir Ivović for the help and logistic support in trapping the animals and collecting data, particularly in vicinity of Tivat. The technical support in preparing the maps was provided by Prof. Dr. Dmitar Lakušić and Prof. Dr. Jasmina Šinžar-Sekulić. We also give our thanks to John Linnell for the revision of the English text, and to two anonymous referees for their advices and useful comments. This study was realized within the projects No TR20019 and No 146021 of Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia.
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Ćirović, D., Raković, M., Milenković, M. et al. Small Indian Mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus (Herpestidae, Carnivora): an invasive species in Montenegro. Biol Invasions 13, 393–399 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9831-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9831-7