Paguma larvata

Basic information
Scientific name	Paguma larvata	Click to magnify
Common names	Masked Musang， Masked Palm Civet
Higher taxon	Viverridae, Carnivora, Mammalia
Natural range	Himalaya, S China, Taiwan, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.
Habitat	Human inhabited to mountainous habitat. Often use arboreal habitat.

Invasion information
Range in Japan	Entire Japanese Main Islands. Especially many records from Miyagi and Fukushima to Chubu district, and Shikoku district.
Origin	Unknown.
Date	Introduced in mid-age (before 19c). In W.W.II. period, introduced for fur.
Route	Deliberate: For fur (in W.W.II. age).
Impact	Competition against native species. Impact on agriculture. Invasion to human house. Native organism(s) affected: Native racoon (Nyctereutes procyonoides), crops.
Regulation in Japan	Designated as game animal. Keeping this species is prohibited in Shiga Pref. Release of this species is prohibited in Aichi Pref.
Introduced range in other countries	None.

Reference	Notes
Abe et al. (1994) A Pictorial Guide to the Mammals of Japan. Tokai University Press, Tokyo. (in Jpn) Izawa et al. (ed) (1996) Encyclopedia of Animals in Japan 2, Mammals 2. Heibonsha. (in Jpn) Ecol Soc Japan (ed) (2002) Handbook of Alien Species in Japan. Chijin-Shokan. (in Jpn) Ohdachi et al. (eds) (2009) The Wild Mammals of Japan. Shoukabou, Kyoto.