Abstract The rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is the smallest wildcat in the world, endemic to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Although new occurrence records have recently been reported from different geographic localities in India and Nepal, there is still a lack of information on its biology and habitat use that are required for its conservation planning. Herein, we report results from systematic, long-term (2014–2018) camera trapping in Kanha Tiger Reserve, India, to evaluate the habitat use, suitability and activity pattern of the rusty-spotted cat and model its local distribution with habitat and anthropogenic covariates. Thick canopied forest and rugged terrain were found to be extensively used and preferred by the rusty-spotted cat. It was also recorded in the multiple-use buffer zone forests in close proximity to agriculture. The species is nocturnal and its activity seems to coincide with its major prey. The guiding philosophy of tiger reserves in India is to use the tiger as an umbrella species for biodiversity conservation, and often these reserves are intensively managed to enhance tiger and prey populations. This approach, however, may not cater to the requirements of other less charismatic sympatric species, and those of the rusty-spotted cat also need to be considered for its continued survival.

中文翻译：

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评估印度 Ka​​nha 老虎保护区锈斑猫 Prionailurus rubiginosus 的栖息地利用、适宜性和活动模式

摘要 锈斑猫 Prionailurus rubiginosus 是世界上最小的野猫，分布于印度、尼泊尔和斯里兰卡。尽管最近在印度和尼泊尔的不同地理地点报告了新的发生记录，但仍然缺乏其保护规划所需的生物学和栖息地利用信息。在此，我们报告了在印度 Ka​​nha 老虎保护区进行系统性、长期（2014-2018 年）相机捕获的结果，以评估锈斑猫的栖息地利用、适宜性和活动模式，并利用栖息地和人为因素对其局部分布进行建模。协变量。厚厚的树冠森林和崎岖的地形被发现广泛使用，并受到锈斑猫的青睐。它也被记录在靠近农业的多用途缓冲区森林中。该物种是夜间活动的，其活动似乎与其主要猎物一致。印度老虎保护区的指导思想是将老虎作为保护生物多样性的保护伞物种，并且通常对这些保护区进行集中管理，以增加老虎和猎物的数量。然而，这种方法可能无法满足其他不太有魅力的同域物种的需求，而且锈斑猫的需求也需要考虑到它的持续生存。