Gray-cheeked flying squirrel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gray-cheeked flying squirrel
Systematics
Subordination : Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family : Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily : Tree squirrel and flying squirrel (Sciurinae)
Tribe : Flying Squirrel (Pteromyini)
Genre : Horseshoe Flying Squirrel ( Hylopetes )
Type : Gray-cheeked flying squirrel
Scientific name
Hylopetes sagitta
( Linnaeus , 1766)

The gray-cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes sagitta , synonym : Hylopetes lepidus ) is a flying squirrel from the genus of the horseshoe flying squirrel ( Hylopetes ). The species occurs on the islands of Java and Bangka , which belong to Indonesia .

features

The gray-cheeked flying squirrel reaches a head-torso length of about 11 to 13 centimeters and a tail length of 9 to 12 centimeters. The weight is about 38 to 43 grams. In appearance, the species is very similar to the red- cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes spadiceus ) and the Jentink flying squirrel ( Hylopetes platyurus ). The back coloration of the gray-cheeked flying squirrel is largely gray, in the other two species it is more brown to reddish-brown. The cheeks and the base of the tail are light and pink in this species, in color roughly in the middle between the other two species.

The main differences between the species lie in the proportions of the skull and body dimensions to one another.

Like all flying squirrels, it has a hairy skin that connects the wrists and ankles and is enlarged by a fold of skin between the hind legs and the base of the tail. The sliding skin is muscular and reinforced at the edge, it can be tensed and relaxed accordingly in order to control the direction of the gliding flight.

distribution

The gray-cheeked flying squirrel occurs on the islands of Java and Bangka , which belong to Indonesia , the exact extent of the distribution area is not known. The two island populations are separated from each other. The IUCN also specifies northern Borneo as the distribution area, but does not list the island of Bangka.

Way of life

Very little data is available on the way of life of the flying squirrel. As with the related species, the habitat is likely to be in the tropical primary forest or in more permanent secondary forests . Like other species, it is likely to be strictly arboreal and nocturnal. The reproduction is probably irregular, finds of pregnant females are known from the months of February and March as well as from the months of July and August.

Systematics

The gray-cheeked flying squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the horseshoe flying squirrel ( Hylopetes ), which contains a total of nine species. The first scientific description comes from Carl von Linné from 1766 as Sciurus sagitta based on individuals from the island of Java. It was long listed as Hylopetes lepidus ( Horsfield , 1822 ), but is now referred to by the older name Hylopetes sagitta and Hylopetes lepidus is considered a synonym . Originally, the gray-cheeked flying squirrel was combined with the Jentink flying squirrel ( Hylopetes platyurus ) to form one species.

No subspecies are distinguished within the species.

Existence, endangerment and protection

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) does not classify the gray-cheeked flying squirrel into a hazard category and list it as "data deficient" due to the limited amount of data available. This is justified primarily with the not yet finally clarified species affiliation and taxonomy as well as the lack of current statements about the distribution area as well as about potential causes of danger and the population of the animals.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 100. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  2. ↑ a b c Hylopetes lepidus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.1. Listed by: JW Duckworth, S. Hedges, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  3. ↑ a b c d Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Hylopetes lepidus in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
  4. ^ Thomas Walker Horsfield: Zoological researches in Java and the neighboring islands. Part V, October 1822, Kingsbury, Parbury, and Allen, London 1821–1824 (first description of Hylopetes lepidus )
  5. ↑ a b J.L. Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Hylopetes sagitta. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978- 84-941892-3-4 , p. 763.

literature

  • Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 100. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  • JL Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Hylopetes sagitta. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978- 84-941892-3-4 , p. 763.

Web links