The spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor) is a linsang, a tree-dwelling carnivorous mammal, native to much of Southeast Asia. It is widely, though usually sparsely, recorded, and listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
It weighs about and measures in length about with a long tail. Its height is about , the girth of its chest , and length of head to the occiput about .
Distribution and habitat
The range of the spotted linsang includes eastern Nepal, Sikkim, Assam and Bengal in India, Bhutan, northeastern Myanmar, northern Thailand, Laos, northern Vietnam, and western Sichuan, Yunnan Guizhou and southwestern Guangxi in southern China. It is uncommon to rare throughout this range. It primarily inhabits evergreen forests and shrubland. A large portion of this habitat is not protected, and this may cause the spotted linsang to be threatened with extinction due to habitat loss.
In Nam Et-Phou Louey National Biodiversity Conservation Area, it was observed in secondary vegetation dominated by banana stands in 2017.
Ecology and behaviour
The spotted linsang is nocturnal, solitary, and at least partly arboreal.
In 2004, Cytochrome b gene sequencing data changed the opinion of having Prionodon within the Viverrinae subfamily. Genetic data indicate that the similarities between Asiatic and African linsangs are due to convergence.