New civet species in Borneo?

[Ken Kinman]

Dear All,
      There have been several recent news stories appearing about a possible new species of civet (Viverridae) in Borneo.  The two snapshots they got of the animal look to me like a palm civet, probably of the genus Paradoxurus.

      If so, it seems like there are three possibilities: (1) it is a new species of Paradoxurus; (2) it is a rare color variant of Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, which occurs in Borneo; or (3) it is an introduced specimen of Paradoxurus zeylonensis (from Sri Lanka).  It looks rather similar to the latter, but how would it have gotten from Sri Lanka to Borneo?  Could it have been smuggled out during the chaos after the tsunami?  Is there an illegal pet trade for some palm civets (young P. zeylonensis are said to be rather tame)?  However, P. hermaphroditus populations in the Philippines were once divided into three separate species, so maybe coloration variations are common on some of these islands.
  ---Cheers,
         Ken Kinman