Jentink flying squirrel
| Jentink flying squirrel | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hylopetes platyurus | ||||||||||||
| ( Jentink , 1890) |
The Jentink flying squirrel ( Hylopetes platyurus ) is a flying squirrel from the genus of the horseshoe flying squirrel ( Hylopetes ). The species occurs over parts of Southeast Asia on the Malay Peninsula as well as on Sumatra and Borneo .
features
The Jentink flying squirrel reaches a head-torso length of about 13 centimeters and a tail length of about 10 centimeters. The back color and the top of the head are orange-brown to brown, the throat is white and the belly is cream-white. In appearance the species is very similar to the gray-cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes lepidus ) and the red- cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes spadiceus ). The back color of the gray-cheeked flying squirrel is mostly gray, in the other two species it is more brown to reddish-brown. The cheeks and the base of the tail are light and in this species, unlike the others, more gray than reddish in color.
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 Jentink flying squirrel includes parts of Southeast Asia on the Malay Peninsula as well as Sumatra and Borneo , where it occurs in both the Malay and Indonesian parts and in Brunei .
Way of life
Very little data is available on the way of life of the Jentink flying squirrel. The habitat is in the lowlands in tropical to subtropical regions, especially in the area of forest edges, in rubber plantations and other vegetation areas that are not densely overgrown. In contrast, the species has not yet been documented from primary forests . Like other species, it is arboreal and nocturnal.
Systematics
The Jentink flying squirrel is classified as a separate species within the genus of the horseshoe flying squirrel ( Hylopetes ), which contains a total of nine species. The first scientific description comes from Fredericus Anna Jentink from 1890 on the basis of an individual from the former Sultanate of Deli in the north of the island of Sumatra. In the past, there was often an inconsistent separation between the red- cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes spadiceus ) and Hylopetes platyurus and the gray-cheeked flying squirrel ( Hylopetes lepidus ) in the literature . Hylopetes platyurus was originally a subspecies of the gray-cheeked flying squirrel. In some cases, Hylopetes aurantiacus , which today belongs to the red-cheeked flying squirrel, was considered a synonym for the Jentink flying squirrel.
No subspecies are distinguished within the species.
Existence, endangerment and protection
The Jentink flying squirrel is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as "data deficient" due to the limited amount of data available. The main reason for this is the controversial system and the lack of clear data on the populations and the ecology of the animals.
supporting documents
- ↑ 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; 102. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ^ 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
- ↑ a b c Hylopetes platyurus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.2. Listed by: JW Duckworth, S. Hedges, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Hylopetes platyurus 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; 102. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Web links
- Hylopetes platyurus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.2. Listed by: JW Duckworth, S. Hedges, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2014.