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Coarse-scale patterns of distribution and abundance of species are the outcome of processes occurring at finer spatial scales, hence the conservation of species depends on understanding their fine-scale ecology. For Bornean carnivores, little is known about fine-scale predictors of species occurrence and it is assumed that the two main threats to wildlife on Borneo, habitat disturbance and hunting, also impact their occurrence. To increase our understanding of the Borneo carnivore community, we deployed 60 cameras in a logging concession in northern Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, where different landscape covariates, both natural and anthropogenic, were present. We built single-species occupancy models to investigate fine-scale carnivore occupancy. Overall, forest disturbance had a negative effect on Hose’s civet (Diplogale hosei), banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) and yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula). Further, banded civet had greater occupancy probabilities in more remote areas. Logging roads had the most diverse effect on carnivore occupancy, with Hose’s civet and masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) negatively affected by roads, whereas Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga), short-tailed mongoose (Herpestes brachyurus) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) showed higher occupancy closer to roads. Canopy height, canopy closure, number of trees with holes (cavities) and distance to nearest village also affected occupancy, though the directions of these effects varied among species. Our results highlight the need to collect often overlooked habitat variables: moss cover and ‘kerangas’ (tropical heath forest) were the most important variables predicting occurrence of Hose’s civet. The preservation of such forest conditions may be crucial for the long-term conservation of this little-known species. Our results confirm that logged forests, when left to regenerate, can host diverse carnivore communities on Borneo, provided less disturbed habitat is available nearby, though human access needs to be controlled. We recommend easy-to-implement forest management strategies including maintaining forest next to logging roads; preserving fruiting trees and trees with cavities, both standing and fallen; and blocks of remote, less disturbed, mid- to high-elevation forest with understorey vegetation.

Human-induced environmental changes, particularly climate change, pose a threat to many tropical montane species, making the identification of optimal future habitat a conservation priority. Here we used maximum entropy (Maxent) and boosted regression trees to predict suitable habitat of the threatened Bornean highland endemic Hose's civet (Diplogale hosei), that is currently available, and for future time periods (2050s and 2080s), considering future land cover and climate change predictions. Next, we identified areas that were consistently suitable under current and future model predictions as forest refuges. Our analysis predicted that Hose's civet is restricted mainly to the highlands of Borneo to an area less than 20,000 km2 (about 2% of the entire island of Borneo). Changes in land cover have little impact on predicted suitable area for the species. However, we predicted habitat loss due to climate change to approximate 86% by 2080, except under a “green economy scenario” which showed stable or increasing suitable habitat. Refuges were small, about 11% of 2010 habitat, and mostly restricted to lower montane forest. About 28–35% of refuges lie within the current protected area network though much is designated as commercial forests within the proposed Heart of Borneo (HoB). For the conservation of Hose's civet and likely other Bornean highland endemics, we recommend increased wildlife and forest law enforcement in identified protected refuges and sustainable timber harvesting practices in surrounding commercial forests, both within the HoB and the extensions we identified. Results of our green model showed that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will likely contribute immensely to the long-term conservation of highland species such as Hose's civet. Keywords: Biomod2, Climate change, Conservation planning, IPCC, Species distribution modelling, Southeast Asia

Although phylogenetic relationships among most genera and species in the mammalian family Viverridae have been analysed genetically, no molecular data exist for two threatened island-endemic species, Hose's civet Diplogale hosei of Borneo and the Sulawesi civet Macrogalidia musschenbroekii (both monospecific genera). We obtained the first DNA sequences (large parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and NADH2 genes) for these species, using museum specimens, and confirmed that both species warrant their own genus. Hose's civet is a member of the subfamily Hemigalinae and is a sister taxon of the banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus and Owston's civet Chrotogale owstoni; but the relationship among these three species remained unresolved. The Sulawesi civet does not belong to the subfamily Paradoxurinae, in which it is currently classified (hence its widely used English name Sulawesi palm civet), but instead to the subfamily Hemigalinae. We recommend dropping ‘palm’ from all vernacular names of the Hemigalinae to distinguish the Hemigalinae from the ‘true’ palm civets – the Paradoxurinae.

Knowledge of the distribution and habitat preferences of a species is of paramount importance when assessing its conservation status. We used accurately recorded occurrence records and ecological niche modelling to predict the distribution of two threatened and poorly known small carnivore species that occur in Southeast Asia, the banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) and Hose's civet (Diplogale hosei), and analysed their spatial niche differentiation for habitat and elevation. We then identified possible anthropogenic threats, and used our modelling predictions to recommend surveying priorities. The predicted distribution of the banded civet was principally in lowland evergreen forest in southern Myanmar/Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and three Mentawai Islands (Siberut, Sipora and South Pagai), and for Hose's civet in evergreen forest across the higher elevation regions of Borneo. Our niche analyses suggested that there is a tendency for these two species to separate spatially along an elevation gradient: the banded civet is mainly found in lowland areas, whereas Hose's civet primarily occurs at higher elevations. Our study strongly indicated that these two viverrids are forest-dependent species that may be threatened by forest loss, degradation and fragmentation. Field surveys should be prioritised in areas where each species is predicted to occur and no records currently exist.

34. Hose’s Palm Civet Diplogale hosei French: Civette de Hose / German: Schlichtroller / Spanish: Hemigalo de Borneo Taxonomy. Hemigale hose: Thomas, 1892, Mount Dulit, N. Borneo. Monotypic. Distribution. Borneo. Descriptive notes. Head-body 47.2-54 cm, tail 29.8-33. 5 cm, hindfoot 7-4-8: 1 cm, ear 3-6 cm, weight 1-3 kg. A slender civet with a long pointed muzzle and large ears. Similar in body shape to the Banded Palm Civet, but with a dark brown or blackish coat and no stripes and bands; the underparts are white or slightly brownish-white. There are whitish patches on the side of the muzzle, above and below the eyes, and on the side of the cheeks. The whiskers are long (greater than 150 mm). The rhinarium is bilobed and the nostrils diverge and open to the side. The tail is black and the inner sides of the limbs are grayish. The feet have five digits and are partly webbed, with patches of short hair between the footpads. There is one pair of teats. The skull is quite similar to that of the Banded Palm Civet. The posterior chamber of the auditory bullae is ovoid, extends anteriorly, and partly covers the anterior chamber. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40. The first upper and lower premolars are two-rooted and have accessory cusps. The second upper premolar has a small postero-internal cusp. Habitat. Primary rainforest, montane broadleaf forest, and mature mixed-dipterocarp forest. Specimens and sighting records are from 450 m to 1700 m. Food and Feeding. One specimen stomach was said to contain various small insects. Activity patterns. Possibly nocturnal: one individual was seen at 22:00 h in Brunei, another individual was observed at 03:00 h on Mount Kinabalu (Sabah), and a third was camera-trapped at 22:00 h. A captive female emerged only at night and rested during the day. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Possibly terrestrial and solitary: the few reported records are of single individuals on the ground. A captive female was trapped on the ground and was never seen climbing on the branches within her cage. Breeding. Nothing known. Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Listed as Threatened in the 1989 IUCN Action Plan for the Conservation of Mustelids and Viverrids. An almost completely unknown species with a very restricted range; there are fewer than 20 museum specimens. Hose’s Palm Civet has been recorded only in a handful of scattered localities in Sabah (Mount Kinabalu National Park and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary), Brunei (Ulu Temburong National Park), and north-eastern Sarawak (Mount Dulit). In 1997, an adult female was live-trapped in Brunei (at 1500 m) and kept in captivity for about 2% months. Field surveys, ecological studies, and assessments of any threats are needed. Bibliography. Chapron et al. (2006), Corbet & Hill (1992), Dinets (2003), Francis (2002), IUCN (2008), Payne et al. (1985), Pocock (1933c), Schreiber et al. (1989), Van Rompaey & Azlan (2004), Wells et al. (2005), Wozencraft (2005), Yasuma (2004)., Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Viverridae, pp. 174-232 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 199, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5714564

Diplogale hosei (Thomas, 1892) Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 6, 9:250. TYPE LOCALITY: "Mount Dulit, N. Borneo, 4000 ft " [Malaysia, Sarawak, Gunung Dulit, 3°15'N, 114°15'E]. DISTRIBUTION: Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak). COMMENTS: Thomas published two accounts of the type description in 1892, one printed in August (Thomas, 1892a), and another printed in October (Thomas, 1892b). Although Pocock (1933d) supported Thomas (1912) in separating this species into Diplogale; Chasen (1940), Medway (1977), and Payne et al. (1985) did not. Similiar differences in pelage and dentition have been used elsewhere (e.g., Osbornictis vs. Genetta) at the generic level., Published as part of W. Christopher Wozencraft, 1993, Order Carnivora, pp. 279-348 in Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London :Smithsonian Institution Press on page 341, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7359191, {"references":["Thomas, O. 1892 a. On some new Mammalia from the East-Indian Archipelago. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, ser. 6, 9: 250 - 254.","Thomas, O. 1892 b. On some mammals from Mount Dulit, North Borneo. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1892: 221 - 227.","Pocock, R. I. 1933 d. The rarer genera of oriental Viverridae. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1933: 969 - 1035.","Chasen, F. N. 1940. A handlist of Malaysian mammals: A systematic list of the mammals of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and Java, including the adjacent small islands. Bulletin of the Raffles Museum, Singapore, 15: 1 - 209.","Medway, L. 1977. Mammals of Borneo: Field keys and an annotated checklist. Second ed. Monograph, Malay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 7: 1 - 172.","Payne, J., C. M. Francis, and K. Phillipps. 1985. A field guide to the mammals of Borneo. The Sabah Society, Kuala Lumpur, 332 pp."]}