Real red squirrel

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Real red squirrel
Dremomys rufigenis.jpg

Real red squirrel ( Dremomys rufigenis )

Systematics
Order : Rodents (Rodentia)
Subordination : Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family : Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily : Squirrel (Callosciurinae)
Genre : Red Squirrel ( Dremomys )
Type : Real red squirrel
Scientific name
Dremomys rufigenis
( Blanford , 1878)

The real red-cheeked squirrel ( Dremomys rufigenis ) is a type of squirrel from the genus of the red-cheeked squirrel ( Dremomys ). It occurs from northeastern South Asia and the south of the People's Republic of China to Malaysia .

features

The real red-cheeked squirrel reaches a head-torso length of about 17.0 to 22.8 centimeters with a weight of about 210 to 355 grams. The tail is between 13 and 18 centimeters long, which is slightly shorter than the rest of the body. The rear foot is 44 to 54 millimeters long, the ear length is 23 to 25 millimeters. The animals are monochrome gray-brown to aguti-colored without reddish spots on the upper side . They resemble the robin squirrel ( Dremomys gularis ) and differ from the Chinese red squirrel ( Dremomys pyrrhomerus ) in the lack of spots. The cheeks and the sides of the body are colored red, the belly side and the tail are bright red.

distribution

The real red squirrel is common in a comparatively large area from northeast South Asia and the south of the People's Republic of China to Southeast Asia. Within China, the species lives in Yunnan and southwestern Guangxi , and probably in Hunan and Anhui . In India the species has been documented once in the two states of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland . In Southeast Asia, the species colonizes an area that extends from Myanmar through western Thailand , Laos and Vietnam to northern Malaysia . The altitude distribution is in the area of ​​the lower mountain regions - mostly less than 1,500 meters. The evidence from Nagaland comes from an altitude of around 1,500 meters.

Way of life

The habitat of the real red squirrel is in the subtropical, evergreen mountain deciduous forests, where it is mainly in the dense bushes of the lower vegetation. To search for food, however, it also climbs into the higher trees and often on the ground. Smith & Yan Xie 2009 describe the species as semi-terrestrial.

The real red-cheeked squirrel is diurnal and lives in tree hollows in medium to high areas in dense oak, bamboo, fir and pine stands. The species is adaptable and also occurs in fragmented and degraded habitats.

Systematics

The real red-cheeked squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the red-cheeked squirrel ( Dremomys ), which consists of six species. The first scientific description comes from William Thomas Blanford from the year 1878, who described the species using an individual from Mt. Mooleyit in the Tanintharyi Division in what is now Myanmar . The Chinese red-cheeked squirrel ( Dremomys pyrrhomerus ) was temporarily assigned to this type, but is now regarded as a separate species.

Within the species, five subspecies are distinguished with the nominate form :

  • Dremomys rufigenis rufigenis as a nominate form in southwestern Yunnan, central Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The animals are cloudy olive gray to aguti-colored and have sand-colored to white tufts of ears.
  • Dremomys rufigenis adamsoni in northeastern India, northern Myanmar, and western Yunnan. Compared to the nominate form, the animals are a little darker with a reddish back color and a larger and whiter spot behind the ears.
  • Dremomys rufigenis belfieldi in Malaysia. Compared to the nominate form, the animals are paler with a slight mottling of the dorsal fur, redder cheeks and a white spot behind the ears.
  • Dremomys rufigenis fuscus in southern Vietnam. The color of the back is dark brown and mottled in sand color, the cheeks are maroon and the hips are dark maroon. The peritoneum is creamy white, the underside of the tail dark chestnut brown.
  • Dremomys rufigenis ornatus in Yunnan, Guangxi, Hunan and Anhui. Slightly greater than the nominal form, and lighter in color than D. r. belfieldi

Smith & Yan Xie 2009 also define Dremomys rufigenis opimus in western Yunnan as a further subspecies.

Status, threat and protection

The red squirrel is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (“least concern”) . This is justified with the comparatively large distribution area and the assumed frequent occurrence of the species. Potential sources of danger for the population of this species in Southeast Asia are not known. In India the species is hunted like other squirrels of the same size.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Asian Red-Cheeked Squirrel. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 187.
  2. ^ A b c Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 157-158. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Dremomys rufigenis in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2014.2. Listed by: JW Duckworth, D. Lunde, S. Molur, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ a b c d Dremomys rufigenis In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): 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. 157-158. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  • Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Asian Red-Cheeked Squirrel. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 187.

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