Red-cheeked flying squirrel

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Red-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 : Red-cheeked flying squirrel
Scientific name
Hylopetes spadiceus
( Blyth , 1847)

The red- cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes spadiceus ) is a flying squirrel from the genus of the horseshoe flying squirrel ( Hylopetes ). The species occurs over a large area of ​​Southeast Asia from Myanmar to several islands in the Malay archipelago .

features

The red-cheeked flying squirrel reaches a head-torso length of about 14 to 15 centimeters, a tail length of about 11 to 13 centimeters and a weight of about 70 to 80 grams. The back color and the top of the head are orange-brown to brown, the throat is white and the belly is cream-white. The cheeks are reddish-orange, the top of the flight membrane and the tail are dark brown to brown-black. In appearance the species is very similar to the gray-cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes lepidus ) 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 colored and in this species much more red in color than in the gray-cheeked flying squirrel.

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 distribution area of ​​the red-cheeked flying squirrel extends over a large area of ​​Southeast Asia. On the mainland, it occurs from Myanmar to the Malay Peninsula as well as parts of Laos , South Vietnam and Thailand . It is also native to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra , Bangka , Kundur and Bunguran as well as Borneo , where it occurs in both the Malay and Indonesian parts and in Brunei .

Way of life

Little data is available on the way of life of the flying squirrel. The habitat is in the lowlands in tropical to subtropical primary and secondary forests up to a maximum of 1500 meters above sea level. Like other species, it is arboreal and nocturnal. It is comparatively insensitive to changes in habitat and, above all, selective wood removal.

Systematics

The red-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 Edward Blyth in 1847 using an individual from the former Kingdom of Arakan in what is now Myanmar . In the past, there was often an inconsistent separation in the literature from the red- cheeked flying squirrel , the Jentink flying squirrel ( Hylopetes platyurus ) and the gray-cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes lepidus ).

Depending on the source, different subspecies are distinguished within the species. Thorington et al. 2012 distinguishes between three subspecies:

  • Hylopetes spadiceus spadiceus from the Malay Peninsula
  • Hylopetes spadiceus everetti from the island of Borneo
  • Hylopetes spadiceus sumatrae from the island of Sumatra

The system based on Wilson & Reeder 2005 also established by Thorington distinguishes between the nominate form Hylopetes s. spadiceus as the second subspecies Hylopetes s. caroli .

Existence, endangerment and protection

The red-cheeked flying squirrel is listed as not endangered ("least concern") by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) due to its large distribution area . It also occurs in several nature reserves and is comparatively insensitive to changes in habitat. A decline in the population is not known; deforestation and the conversion of forest areas into agricultural areas are considered to be potential sources of danger .

supporting documents

  1. ↑ 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. 103-105. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  2. ^ 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
  3. ↑ a b c d Hylopetes spadiceus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.2. Listed by: JW Duckworth, S. Hedges, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Hylopetes spadiceus in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).

literature

  • Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 103-105. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

Web links

Commons : Hylopetes nigripes  - collection of images, videos and audio files