African red squirrel

African red squirrel
Systematics
Subordination :	Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family :	Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily :	Ground Squirrel (Xerinae)
Tribe :	Protoxerini
Genre :	Redshank Squirrel ( Funisciurus )
Type :	African red squirrel
Scientific name
	Funisciurus leucogenys
	( Waterhouse , 1842)

The African red-cheeked squirrel ( Funisciurus leucogenys ) is a species of squirrel from the genus of the redshank squirrel ( Funisciurus ). It occurs in parts of West and Central Africa.

features

The African red-cheeked squirrel has an average head-trunk length of 18.1 to 22.5 centimeters, the tail is 15.1 to 17.8 centimeters long. The weight is around 170 to 300 grams. The rear foot length is 49 to 54 millimeters, the ear length 18 to 21 millimeters. It is a medium-sized squirrel with a gray-brown to brown-black fur on the back. The shoulders are yellow-brown and on the sides of the body the animals each have a whitish yellow side stripe, which partially dissolves in spots. The peritoneum is pale orange-red. The cheeks and parts of the head are bright orange-red, on the top of the head the animals are speckled black. The ears are rounded and colored black on the outside, they often have a dark spot behind the ears (postauricular spot). The hips and front legs are gray, the rear legs are significantly more powerful than the front legs. The length of the tail corresponds to about 80% of the length of the head and torso. It is bushy with long hair, black or brown-black with white hair tips on top and red underneath. The females have four paired teats (2 + 2 = 8).

1	·	0	·	2	·	3	= 22
1	·	0	·	1	·	3	= 22

Redshank squirrel tooth formula

The skull has a total length of 48.0 to 52.9 millimeters and a width of about 25.7 to 29.0 millimeters. Like all species of the genus has the type in the upper jaw half per one to a incisor tooth formed incisor (incisor) to which a tooth gap ( diastema follows). This is followed by two premolars and three molars . The teeth in the lower jaw correspond to those in the upper jaw, but only with a premolar. In total, the animals have a set of 22 teeth. The bony palate ends at the anterior margin of the last molars.

The African red squirrel resembles other redshank squirrels found in the same region and differs from them mainly in its size and color. The sympatric occurring Thomas-African striped squirrel ( Funisciurus anerythrus ) has a drab gray-brown back coloring and the side stripes does not dissolve in individual spots, the ventral side is gray and it has no Postaurikularflecke. The firefoot squirrel ( Funisciurus pyrropus ) also has no dissolved side stripes, its legs and feet are brightly red in color and they also have no postauricular spots.

distribution

The African red squirrel occurs from eastern Ghana east of the Volta Basin via Togo , Benin , Nigeria and Cameroon to the extreme southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and after Equatorial Guinea in Mbini and on the island of Bioko . After Kingdon 2013, the species is also found in the Sangha in the Central African Republic .

Way of life

The African red-cheeked squirrel lives mainly in the dense and bushy lower tree layers of the tropical rainforest and in the remaining forests of the rainforest savannah. It occurs almost only in relatively undisturbed to slightly disturbed primary forest areas. In the Central African Republic, eight out of 19 trapped individuals were caught in undisturbed forest regions, eight in stands of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei and three in the area of roads and forest felling. River valley forests in the lowlands up to higher altitudes are preferred, they are also found in extensively used plantations .

There is comparatively little information about the way of life of the species. Like other African squirrels, the animals are diurnal and live primarily in trees, preferring the lower areas of the trees and rarely penetrating into higher trees. They sometimes look for their food on the ground, but usually also in the bushes and trees and use different microhabitats of the habitat such as lianas, stony shorelines, palm trees and root areas. They feed primarily herbivorous of fruits and seeds. The nests are created in tree hollows or in dense bushes as well as under tree roots and usually have several entrances. The communication takes place via partly staccato- like "chatters".

There is no fixed mating season and the females can give birth to young animals every three to four months. The one to three offspring per litter are born in simple, grass-lined nests in tree hollows and under roots, the main litter time occurs at the end of the dry season or at the beginning of the rainy season.

Systematics

The African red-cheeked squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the red-thigh squirrel ( Funisciurus ), which consists of ten species. The first scientific description comes from the British zoologist George Robert Waterhouse from 1842, who described the animals as Sciurus leucogenys based on individuals from the island of Bioko, which belongs to Equatorial Guinea .

Depending on the source, no to four subspecies are distinguished within the species. While Wilson & Reeder 2005 and Thorington et al. In 2012, differentiating three subspecies with the nominate form , in Kingdon 2013 no subspecies and only four color variants are highlighted. The following forms are listed as subspecies:

Funisciurus leucogenys leucogenys : nominate form, occurs only on the island of Bioko. The subspecies has a pure white belly and pale side stripes.
Funisciurus leucogenys auriculatus : This subspecies was described by Benito, now Mbini , in Equatorial Guinea and from Mussaka east of the Cameroon Mountain in Cameroon. In this form, the neck and shoulders are whitish gray and the belly side is wholly or partially light orange-red. The side stripes are divided into seven rows of bright spots that arise on the neck, and the black hairs of the ears are thicker and longer than in the other subspecies.

Funisciurus leucogenys oliviae : The subspecies lives in most of the distribution area and occurs at least from Nigeria to Cameroon. The shape has a red neck and head color, a distinct dark post-auricular spot and an orange belly.

Status, threat and protection

The African red squirrel is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (“least concern”). This is justified by the comparatively large distribution area and the assumed large populations of animals in their habitat, although sightings are rare. There are no known threats to the existence of the species, but in Benin the bones of the croissants are considered to have medicinal properties and the tails are used as jewelry.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Justina C. Ray: Funisciurus leucogenys, Red-Cheeked Rope Squirrel. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 57-58; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 219-221. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

↑ Peter Grubb: Genus Funisciurus, Rope Squirrels. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 46-48; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

↑ ^a ^b Funisciurus leucogenys in the IUCN 2016-2 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: F. Cassola, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2016.

↑ Funisciurus leucogenys . In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .

literature

Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 219-221. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Justina C. Ray: Funisciurus leucogenys, Red-Cheeked Rope Squirrel. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 57-58; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

Web links

Funisciurus leucogenys inthe IUCN 2016-2 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: F. Cassola, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2016.

[Kingdon_2013-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Justina C. Ray: Funisciurus leucogenys, Red-Cheeked Rope Squirrel. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 57-58; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

[Thorington_et_al._2012-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 219-221. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

[Grubb_2013-3] Peter Grubb: Genus Funisciurus, Rope Squirrels. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 46-48; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .