A note on the wild canids (Carnivora: Canidae) of the Horn of Africa, with the first evidence of a new – forgotten – species for Ethiopia Canis mengesi Noack, 1897

摘要

The first ever reported observation of a member of the genus Canis well in the interior of the Danakil area (Ethiopia) offers the opportunity to revise available evidence about the existence of a neglected species of small-sized ‘jackal’ in the Horn of Africa. A review of historical zoological literature led to assign this small-sized, reddish jackal to Canis mengesi Noack, 1897, originally described from inner Somaliland. Geological and geomorphological considerations support the distinctiveness of the Red Sea coastal jackal Canis anthus riparius Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1832, typical of the narrow alluvial, sandy coast, while Canis mengesi is found in the volcanic rocky habitat prevailing over most northern Afar (Danakil, Ethiopia).