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Martes melampus

Martes melampus (*)

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Ordo: Carnivora
Subordo: Caniformia
Familia: Mustelidae
Subfamila: Mustelinae
Genus: Martes
Species: Martes melampus
Subspecies: M. m. coreensis - M. m. melampus - M. m. tsuensis

Name

Martes melampus (Wagner, 1840)

Type locality: "Japan."

References

* In Schreber, Die Säugethiere. Suppl., 2: 229.
* Martes melampus on Mammal Species of the World.
* Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2 Volume Set edited by Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder
* IUCN link: Martes melampus (Wagner, 1840) (Least Concern)
* Martes melampus (Wagner, 1840) Report on ITIS


Vernacular names
Català: marta del Japó
English: Japenese marten
日本語: テン
Polski: Kuna japońska
Türkçe: Japon sansarı

The Japanese marten (Martes melampus) is a mammal in the marten genus most closely related to the sable. It is half a meter in length on average, not counting a 20-centimeter-long tail, and between 1000 and 1500 grams in weight. Males are generally larger than females. The pelage varies in color from dark brown to dull yellow with a cream-colored throat.

Both males and females are territorial, the size of each individual's territory depending on food availability. The Japanese marten is omnivorous, preferring meat from fish, frogs, and small birds and mammals, but consuming insects, fruit, and seeds when necessary. It sleeps in a den in a hollow tree or a ground burrow.

There are three subspecies of Japanese marten:

M. m. melampus lives on several of the Japanese islands.
M. m. tsuensis is found on Tsushima Island, where it is legally protected.
M. m. coreensis is found in North and South Korea.


References

^ Abramov, A. & Wozencraft, C. (2008). Martes melampus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 21 March 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern

Further reading

Japanese Marten on Animal Diversity
Nowak, Ronald M. (2005). Walker's Carnivores of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. ISBN 0-8018-8032-7

Biology Encyclopedia

Mammals Images

Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License