ON THE OCCURRENCE OF DARK-COLOURED INDIAN OR RED MUNTJAC MUNTIACUSMUNTJAK ZIMMERMANN IN SIKKIM-DARJEELING AREAS WITH A RECENT SIGHTING FROM WEST SIKKIM, INDIA

摘要

The muntjacs (Family Cervidae) are a complex group of deer where new variants are still being discovered. The only muntjac known from the Indian Subcontinent was the Indian or Red Muntjac Muntiacus muntjak Zimmermann, till the Leaf Muntjac M. putaoensis and Gongshan Muntjac i M. gongshanensis were recorded from Arunachal Pradesh. The Leaf Muntjac has also been recorded in Nagaland (Choudhury 2003, 2013). M. gongshanensis is a darker i animal. The extralimital Fea's Muntjac M. feae, found in i Southeast Asia, is also a dark animal. Recently, a dark-coloured muntjac was camera trapped in Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary in Darjeeling district of northern West Bengal i (Sunareia/. 2012).