Irrawaddy croissants
| Irrawaddy croissants | ||||||||||||
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Irrawaddy Squirrel ( Callosciurus pygerythrus ) in Buxa Tiger Reserve, Jalpaiguri , India |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Callosciurus pygerythrus | ||||||||||||
| ( I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , 1833) |
The Irawadi squirrel ( Callosciurus pygerythrus ) is a species of squirrel from the genus of the real beautiful squirrel ( Callosciurus ). It occurs in South and Southeast Asia from the southwest of the province of Yunnan , People's Republic of China , as well as the northeast of India via Bhutan and Nepal to parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar .
features
The Irrawaddy croissant reaches a head-trunk length of 19 to 23 centimeters and a weight of around 230 to 300 grams. The tail reaches a length of about 11 to 22 centimeters and is thus slightly shorter than the rest of the body. The rear foot becomes 43 to 48 millimeters long, the ear reaches a length of 17 to 20 millimeters. The back fur of the animals is dark olive-brown, the underside can vary from a bluish gray to a creamy white or sand-colored orange. There is a pale red or ocher spot on the hip area. The tail is gray with a black tip, the front legs and all feet are more gray than the back. The coloration varies with the seasons, with the fur being lighter in the wet summer season with a distinct hip spot and darker without a spot in winter.
The skull is narrow and has a total length of 49 to 52 millimeters. The tympanic bulla is small and usually shorter than 9.2 millimeters.
distribution
The Irrawaddy squirrel occurs in South and Southeast Asia from the southwest of the Yunnan Province , People's Republic of China , and northeast India via Bhutan and Nepal to parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar . In China, its distribution is limited to the south of Yunnan Province. The main distribution area is in the west and in the center of Myanmar.
The height distribution ranges from 500 to 1560 meters.
Way of life
The Irrawaddy squirrel primarily uses the temperate and subtropical to tropical forest areas at medium altitudes as habitat . The species is often found in gardens, in reeds on the edge of the forest or in banana plantations. In Nepal she lives in river forests. In China the species occurs sympatric with the somewhat larger Pallas squirrel ( C. erythraeus ) and in other parts of the distribution area it lives sympatric with other, mostly larger species of tree squirrel.
The Irrawaddy Squirrel as all other species of the genus primarily arboreal ( arboricol ). It feeds mainly on plants, mainly on fruits, and more rarely on insects. It usually lives singly, but also occurs in pairs and is diurnal. It nests in tree hollows and has young once a year, with an average litter consisting of three to four young.
Systematics
The Irrawaddy squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the real beautiful squirrel ( Callosciurus ), which consists of 15 species. The first scientific description comes from Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire from 1833, who described an individual from the forests of Syriam near Bago in what is now Myanmar .
Within the species, seven subspecies are distinguished with the nominate form :
- Callosciurus pygerythrus pygerythrus : nominate form; Distribution in Myanmar between the Irrawaddy and the Sittang .
- Callosciurus pygerythrus blythii : Distribution east of the Brahmaputra in East India and Bangladesh.
- Callosciurus pygerythrus janetta : Distribution in Myanmar between the Irrawaddy and the southern Chindwin and on the left side of the Irrawaddy.
- Callosciurus pygerythrus lokroides : Distribution in Nepal, Bhutan and bordering India.
- Callosciurus pygerythrus mearsi : Distribution in Myanmar east of the Chindwin.
- Callosciurus pygerythrus owensi : Distribution in Myanmar between the Brahmaputra and the upper Chindwin.
- Callosciurus pygerythrus stevensi : Distribution in the south of the Chinese province of Yunnan and in northeastern Assam , India.
Status, threat and protection
The Irawadi squirrel is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as least concern due to its large distribution, the likely large populations and the ability to adapt to habitat changes. The populations are likely to be stable and no potential threats are known for this species.
In South Asia, the main threat to the species is the loss of suitable habitats due to the conversion of forest areas into agricultural land. Other sources of danger are logging, the settlement of people, forest fires and hunting for food and medical purposes (in Nepal). In China, too, the species is threatened by habitat loss.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Irrawaddy 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. 184.
- ↑ a b Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; SS 150-151. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ↑ a b c d e f Callosciurus pygerythrus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.2. Posted by: N. Shrestha, SK Sarkar, D. Lunde, JW Duckworth, B. Lee, RJ Tizard, S. Molur, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ↑ a b c Callosciurus pygerythrus 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
- Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Irrawaddy 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. 184.
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 150-151. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Web links
- Callosciurus pygerythrus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.2. Posted by: N. Shrestha, SK Sarkar, D. Lunde, JW Duckworth, B. Lee, RJ Tizard, S. Molur, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2014.