A new subspecies of Conepatus semistriatus (Boddaert, 1784) (Mammalia, Carnivora, Mephitidae) from Venezuela, and the first known case of insular dwarfism in living skunks

The Striped Hog-nosed Skunk, Conepatus semistriatus (Boddaert, 1784), is distributed from southern Mexico to northern Peru. It is one of the least studied carnivorans of the New World. Not even basic morphometric information exists for the species. This study assesses the taxonomic status of the Striped Hog-nosed Skunk occurring on Margarita Island, off the coast of eastern Venezuela. Multivariate analyses of 25 cranial measurements revealed the Margaritan skunk to be much dwarfed with respect to its nearby mainland congener, thus complying with the ‘island rule’, which predicts that under insular conditions large continental animals become smaller, and small continental animals become larger. The craniometric differences between the Margaritan and mainland skunks are of similar or greater magnitude to those found in interspecific comparisons within genera of several carnivoran families. Geographic variation in cranial size was not evident within the Margaritan sample, or within the mainland sample, analyzed separately. The Margaritan form is sufficiently distinct to be deemed a new subspecies, thus it is here formally described as C. semistriatus elieceri ssp. nov. This skunk becomes the seventh mammal known to be endemic to Margarita Island. Its conservation status is undetermined.