A recent sighting of the Stripe-backed Weasel Mustela strigidorsa ( Mammalia : Carnivora : Mustelidae ) in Hkakabo Razi Landscape , Myanmar

 In March 2019, a Stripe-backed Weasel, Mustela strigidorsa, was observed in Hkakabo Razi Landscape, Myanmar. Although geographically widespread in southeastern Asia and neighboring areas of northeastern India and southern China, relatively little is known of this small carnivore, which is seldom recorded in camera traps or seen in the wild. In Myanmar, there are 24 previously published records, almost all from mountainous areas. The recent sighting was of a solitary animal, which was foraging at an altitude of 580 m in a thickly vegetated area in montane evergreen forest, close to a stream. The photographs and video footage are the first for the species from the country.

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online); ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) In the past, the Stripe-backed Weasel Mustela strigidorsa was considered to be rare (Lekagul & McNeely 1977;Burton & Pearson 1987;Treesucon 1989;Grassman et al. 2002) and was categorized as 'Vulnerable' in the 1996 IUCN Red List (Roberton et al. 2016). Subsequently, Abramov et al. (2008) provided a comprehensive review of the animal's morphology, taxonomy, nomenclature, ecology, behaviour, and conservation status and listed over 100 distribution records from northeastern India, including Sikkim, Myanmar, southern China, northern Vietnam, Lao PDR, and northern Thailand. Contrary to Pocock (1941), Corbet & Hill (1992), and others, Nepal was omitted (with justifications). The paper concluded that it is possible that 'the species is neither particularly rare nor threatened, rather that it is an inconspicuous denizen of chronically under-surveyed regions.' It was recommended that 'all records, even single incidental ones, merit publication'.
Subsequent to Abramov et al. (2008), the Stripebacked Weasel was discovered in northeastern Cambodia (McCann & Pawlowski 2018), and additional records were contributed from Lao PDR (Streicher et al. 2010) andThailand (Chutipong et al. 2014). A molecular study, which included M. strigidorsa, was undertaken by Kurose et al. (2008). Meanwhile, its IUCN status was downgraded in 2008 to 'Least Concern' (reconfirmed in 2016) on account of its widespread distribution, presumed large population, occurrence in many protected areas, apparent tolerance of habitat modification, and hunting pressure (Roberton et al. 2016).
In Myanmar, the Stripe-backed Weasel was omitted by Yin (1967). However, some of the earliest records of this species were from Myanmar, including the first outside Sikkim and, if valid, Nepal. Thomas (1891) listed a specimen collected from Thagata, 'east of Moulmein' (= Mawlamyine), adjacent to Mount Mooleyit (= Mulayit Taung). Today, Thagata is included in Kayin State but at that time, it was assigned to Tenasserim. This may explain the confusion with Lekagul and McNeely's (1977) distribution map, which includes the whole of present day Tanintharyi Region (= Tenasserim) and only  Figure  1), all the records are from the mountainous areas in the west, north, and east of the country. To date, none has been found in the central areas of the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin river basins (Figure 1).
The photographs show the characteristic pelage of this species, and in particular the diagnostic narrow, almost white stripe that runs from the crown of the head to the base of the tail (Image 1). The video shows a single animal foraging through undergrowth on the ground, searching among dried leaves and litter (Video 1). This seems typical of the species, which is reported elsewhere as being primarily solitary and diurnal in its habits (Streicher et al. 2010;Hobcroft 2011;Coudrat et al. 2014). The area is thickly vegetated and is located in the foothills of a forested mountain range, approximately 20 m from a stream (Image 2). The evergreen forest comprises large trees, shrubs, and bamboo thicket, dominated by Shorea spp., Dipterocarpus spp., and Bambusa spp. The climate is subtropical. Although there is considerable local variation in average temperature and rainfall, in Putao (which is situated close-by) the mean annual temperature is c. 27 °C and the mean annual rainfall is 349 mm (Aung et al. 2017). The video footage complements a previous video by Andy Merk in 2016 in Phu Kieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, which was posted on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-sLLUPAvigg). This latter video shows a Stripebacked Weasel coming to a pool to drink.
The recent photographs are some of very few taken J TT of the animal in the wild, other than by camera-trap, and the first for Myanmar. As with reports from elsewhere in its range (Abramov et al. 2008), the Myanmar individual appears to be either unaware of the presence of humans or not particularly shy. It approached within 5 m of TT and stayed in the area for a considerable period of time.
To date, this species has not recorded in camera traps in Myanmar (Zaw et al. 2008 The population status of the Stripe-backed Weasel in Myanmar is not known. However, villagers reported it to be locally common in Kachin (Rabinowitz & Khaing 1998). This anecdotal evidence corresponds to reports in other countries, where villagers also suggest it is at least locally common (Abramov et al. 2008). It is mostly impossible to verify the identifications. Unlike earlier reports from China (Roberton et al. 2016), there is no evidence in Myanmar that it is hunted, although individuals, especially those that depredate domestic chickens, may be trapped and killed by villagers (Zaw et al. 2008). Unlike Lao PDR (Hansel & Tizard 2016), in Myanmar there are no reports of this species being sold in markets.
The incidental sighting reinforces the view that Hkakabo Razi Landscape is a refuge for rich biodiversity, including mammals (Rabinowitz & Khaing 1998;Bates et al. 2021) and birds (Renner et al. 2015). It is also important for a species that is not well covered by camera-trap by-catch (for example from Tiger surveys and monitoring) and for which there is no form of monitoring program anywhere in its range. Therefore, further study of this small carnivore species in Myanmar would be of much interest.