Humboldt sliding squirrel
| Humboldt sliding squirrel | ||||||||||||
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Humboldt's flying squirrel ( Glaucomys oregonensis ) |
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| Glaucomys oregonensis | ||||||||||||
| ( Bachman , 1839) |
The Humboldt flying squirrel ( Glaucomys oregonensis , Syn . : Pteromys oregonensis , Glaucomys sabrinus oregonensis ) is a species of the New World flying squirrel within the squirrel . It is widespread on the west coast of North America and was first described in 1889 by the British scientist John Bachman , but has long been assigned to the northern flying squirrel ( G. sabrinus ). At the beginning of 2017, it was raised to species status again based on genetic characteristics.
features
general characteristics
The appearance of the Humboldt flying squirrel corresponds to the northern flying squirrel and the southern flying squirrel ( Glaucomys volans ), which can hardly be distinguished due to their variable coat color. The nominate form G. oregonensis oregonensis has been described as more reddish than other subspecies with a dark brown-red back and a cinnamon to light brown underside. Other subspecies, which are now assigned to the Humboldt flying squirrel, can have a reddish, reddish brown or gray back and stomach coloration.
Genetic traits
The demarcation of the Humboldt's flying squirrel from other species of the genus was based on sequence data from the control regions of mitochondiral DNA . The comparison of eight gene loci in the range of short non-coding DNA sequences ( microsatellites ) in animals from regions in which the Humboldt's flying squirrel occurs together with the northern flying squirrel did not reveal any evidence of a hybridization of the two forms, which means that they are regarded as genetically separate species can.
Distribution areas
The distribution area of the Humboldt flying squirrel is on the Pacific coast of North America and extends from southern British Columbia to southern California . These areas overlap with the distribution area of the northern flying squirrel in only three regions in the Pacific Northwest , in which both species occur sympatric .
Way of life and ecology
In the way of life, the Humboldt flying squirrel corresponds to the northern flying squirrel. It is nocturnal and lives in the coniferous and mixed forests of the Pacific coast of North America. With the help of the sliding skin formed between the front and rear legs, it is able to glide for longer distances and in this way move quickly from tree to tree.
The Humboldt flying squirrel does not hybridize with the northern flying squirrel.
Systematics
The Humboldt flying squirrel is assigned to the genus of the New World flying squirrel ( Glaucomys ), which consists of three species. It was first described as an independent species in 1839 by the British naturalist John Bachman , but later assigned a synonym to the northern flying squirrel ( G. sabrinus ) and considered a subspecies G. sabrinus oregonensis . At the beginning of 2017, Brian Arbogast and colleagues differentiated the Humboldt flying squirrel as a separate species from the northern flying squirrel due to genetic characteristics, after they had previously been considered as separate relatives “Pacific Coastal” (PC) and “Continental” (CON). Together with the animals of the former subspecies G. sabrinus oregonensis , the subspecies G. s. californicus , G. s. lascivus , G. s. stephensi , G. s. flaviventris and G. s. klamathensis is assigned to the new species G. oregonensis .
Based on the genetic data, the Humboldt flying squirrel is considered to be a sister species of a common taxon from the southern and northern flying squirrel, whose species separation is more recent than that of the Humboldt flying squirrel. In contrast to the Humboldt flying squirrel and the northern flying squirrel, there are also hybrids in geographically overlapping populations of the southern and northern flying squirrels. The separation of the species probably took place in the early to middle Pleistocene , during which during the last glacial period (Wisconsin glacial period) and the spread of the ice sheets, several isolated retreats of the various kin lines formed, which later met again in the area of the overlapping areas. The distribution pattern corresponds to that of other North American mammals, such as the species of red squirrels ( Tamasciurus ), martens and black bears.
After Sciurus meridionalis, which lives in Calabria (Italy), the species is the second squirrel species that was granted species status in 2017.
Status, threat and protection
So far there is no information on the population size of the Humboldt flying squirrel. The species is not included in endangerment lists like the IUCN Red Lists (as of July 2017).
supporting documents
- ^ A b c Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 94 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Brian Arbogast, Katelyn Schumacher, Nicholas Kerhoulas, Allison Bidlack, Joseph Cook, GJ Kenagy: Genetic data reveal a cryptic species of New World flying squirrel: Glaucomys oregonensis . Journal of Mammalogy , May 30, 2017. doi : 10.1093 / jmammal / gyx055
- ↑ Northern Flying Squirrel - Glaucomys sabrinus. 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; 759. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ^ A b Brian S. Arbogast: Mitochondrial DNA Phylogeography of the New World Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys): Implications for Pleistocene Biogeography. Journal of Mammalogy 80 (1), 1999; Pp .: 142-155. doi : 10.2307 / 1383215
- ^ Brian S. Arbogast, Robert A. Browne, Peter D. Weigl, GJ Kenagy: Conservation genetics of endangered flying squirrels (Glaucomys) from the Appalachian mountains of eastern North America. doi : 10.1017 / S1367943004001830 , full text .
- ^ Brian S. Arbogast: A Brief History of the New World Flying Squirrels: Phylogeny, Biogeography, and Conservation Genetics. Journal of Mammalogy 88 (4), 2007; Pp. 840-849. doi : 10.1644 / 06-MAMM-S-322R1.1
- ↑ a b Nicholas J. Kerhoulas, Brian S. Arbogast: Molecular systematics and biogeography of Pleistocene Mesoamerican flying squirrels. Journal of Mammalogy 91 (3), 2010; Pp. 654-667; doi : 10.1644 / 09-MAMM-A-260.1
- ↑ Lucas A. Wauters, Giovanni Amori, Gaetano Aloise, Spartaco Gippoliti, Paolo Agnelli, Andrea Galimberti, Maurizio Casiraghi, Damiano Preatoni, Adriano Martinoli: New endemic mammal species for Europe: Sciurus meridionalis (Rodentia, Sciuridae). Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy 28, 1. doi : 10.4404 / hystrix-28.1-12015
literature
- Brian Arbogast, Katelyn Schumacher, Nicholas Kerhoulas, Allison Bidlack, Joseph Cook, GJ Kenagy: Genetic data reveal a cryptic species of New World flying squirrel: Glaucomys oregonensis . Journal of Mammalogy , May 30, 2017. doi : 10.1093 / jmammal / gyx055
