Hairy-footed squirrel

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Hairy-footed squirrel
Belomys pearsonii.jpg

Hairy- footed flying squirrel ( Belomys pearsonii )

Systematics
Subordination : Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family : Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily : Tree squirrel and flying squirrel (Sciurinae)
Tribe : Flying Squirrel (Pteromyini)
Genre : Belomys
Type : Hairy-footed squirrel
Scientific name of the  genus
Belomys
Thomas , 1908
Scientific name of the  species
Belomys pearsonii
( Gray , 1842)

The hairy- footed flying squirrel ( Belomys pearsonii ) is an Asian type of flying squirrel . It is distributed from the eastern Himalayas over the mountainous countries of Southeast Asia and southern China to Taiwan . Despite the large distribution area, it is not common anywhere and is more like an island in scattered regions. It lives at altitudes between 1500 and 2400 m.

features

The color of the fur is reddish brown on the top and whitish on the underside. It is named after the long hair on the feet, which even cover the claws and protect against the cold at great heights. The head body length is about 22 cm, plus 13 cm tail.

distribution

It is distributed from the eastern Himalayas over the mountainous countries of Southeast Asia and southern China to Taiwan .

Systematics

The hairy-footed flying squirrel is classified as an independent species and as a monotypical genus Belomys . The first scientific description comes from John Edward Gray from 1842, who described an individual from the Darjeeling region in West Bengal , India, as Sciuropterus pearsonii . The genus Belomys was first described and established in 1908 by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas . It was created when the genus Sciuropterus , which was later synonymous with Pteromys , was divided into several new genera. Belomys pearsonii served as a nomenclature type and as further species of the genus he cited B. villosus, which is no longer recognized today, and B. kaleensis, which is now a subspecies of the hairy-footed flying squirrel . At the same time he described Belomys trichotis as a new species, which is also considered a subspecies today.

Some zoologists classify this squirrel together with the complex-toothed flying squirrel in the genus Trogopterus . It is fairly certain that both species are closely related.

Together with the nominate form , four subspecies are currently distinguished:

  • Belomys pearsonii pearsonii
  • Belomys pearsonii blandus
  • Belomys pearsonii kaleensis
  • Belomys pearsonii trichotis

Wilson & Reeder 2005 distinguishes between only two subspecies, the nominate form Belomys pearsonii pearsonii and Belomys pearsonii blandus .

Status, threat and protection

The hairy-footed squirrel is not classified in a hazard category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) due to the lack of data on the population, the way of life and the endangerment, and is listed as "data deficient". Potential and real causes of danger are, above all, the loss of habitats due to logging and the conversion of forest areas to agricultural areas as well as the hunting of animals. In South Asia, the use of slash and burn for agricultural use (Jhum) and the planting of monocultures and plantations are added as sources of danger.

The species was included on Appendix II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. It occurs in several nature reserves, including in India in the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary, the Arunachal Pradesh and the Nengpui Wildlife Sanctuary in Mizoram in India and the Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal.

literature

  • JL Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Genus Belomys. 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. 778.
  • Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Hairy-Footed Flying 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 , pp. 174-175.
  • Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 88. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c Belomys pearsonii . 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 .
  2. ↑ a b J.L. Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Genus Belomys. 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. 778.
  3. ↑ Oldfield Thomas : The genera and subgenera of the Sciuropterus Group, with descriptions of three new species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1, 1908; Pp. 1-8. ( Digitized version ).
  4. ↑ Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
  5. ^ Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 88. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  6. ↑ a b c Belomys pearsonii in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Listed by: JW Duckworth, S. Molur, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2014.

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