Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) Population Abundance and Effects of Habitat Features on Trapping Success in Protected Areas of Eastern Puerto Rico

Diana Guzmán-Colón; Gary J. Roloff

Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) Population Abundance and Effects of Habitat Features on Trapping Success in Protected Areas of Eastern Puerto Rico

Diana Guzmán-Colón^1,* and Gary J. Roloff¹

¹Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA. *Corresponding author.

Caribbean Naturalist, No. 19 (2014)

Abstract
Herpestes auropunctatus (Small Asian Mongoose) was introduced in Caribbean islands at the end of the 19th century and has triggered concern for natural resource managers following declines in bird and herpetile populations subsequent to the mongoose introductions. We quantified mongoose abundance in protected areas of eastern Puerto Rico and described how localized habitat features influenced trapping success. We used mark–recapture to estimate abundance and relate mongoose capture probabilities to habitat conditions. Small Asian Mongoose abundance was greater in the coastal forest type, but we found no relationship between capture frequencies and habitat characteristics. This study provides an initial assessment of Small Asian Mongoose population status in areas of eastern Puerto Rico and offers baseline data for subsequent capture-recapture studies.

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