Horseshoe flying squirrel

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Horseshoe flying squirrel
Hylopetes nigripes

Hylopetes nigripes

Systematics
Order : Rodents (Rodentia)
Subordination : Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family : Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily : Tree squirrel and flying squirrel (Sciurinae)
Tribe : Flying Squirrel (Pteromyini)
Genre : Horseshoe flying squirrel
Scientific name
Hylopetes
Thomas , 1908

The horseshoe flying squirrel ( Hylopetes, to Greek ὕλη Hyle , forest 'and πέτομαι petomai fly') are a rich spread in South Asia genus of squirrel . They are named after the characteristic shape of their tail, which widens again towards the rear and tapers to a point.

features

There are significant differences in size and coat color between the species of horseshoe flying squirrel. The head body length ranges from 11 to 33 centimeters, plus 8 to 29 centimeters of tail; the total length remains below 50 centimeters and they belong to the smaller species of flying squirrels. The tail of the animals is broad and flattened. It is feather-shaped , whereby it widens in the rear part and then tapers to a point.

The gray-cheeked flying squirrel is the smallest species of the genus, the red-cheeked flying squirrel is the largest. The former is known to seek shelter inside coconuts that have been gnawed up and eaten empty by other croissants or by itself. The gray-cheeked gliding squirrel can cover distances of up to 135 m in gliding flight. It has even been observed that it can gain height on very short gliding distances (around 1 m to a maximum of 6 m in length).

The diet consists of fruits, nuts, leaves and young shoots which are supplemented with insects, other invertebrates and small reptiles. As far as is known, females are pregnant for about 40 days. A litter consists of up to four young animals (mostly twins).

distribution

The species of horseshoe flying squirrel are common in the subtropical areas of South and Southeast Asia, with the range of two species north to China . The animals can be found in the lowlands and in mountains up to 3,500 meters above sea level. They live in different forests and can adapt to cultural landscapes .

Systematics

The genus Hylopetes was first scientifically described in 1908 by Oldfield Thomas as part of a division of the genus Sciuropterus as a subgenus of the same . The type species was Sciuropterus everetti , which he also described , followed by Hylopetes everetti , which, however, was described by Edward Blyth as early as 1847 under the name Sciuropterus spadiceus and is now a synonym for Hylopetes spadiceus .

The genus currently consists of the following nine species:

Historically, the cashmere flying squirrel was also partially assigned to this genus. For some species there is also disagreement as to whether they should rather be assigned to the genera Petinomys or Iomys . The gray-cheeked sliding squirrel has long been listed as Hylopetes lepidus ( Horsfield , 1822 ), but is now referred to by the older name Hylopetes sagitta and Hylopetes lepidus is considered a synonym . In addition, another species Hylopetes electilis from the island of Hainan is sometimes described, which is included in the above list in the Phayre's flying squirrel.

On the basis of morphological comparisons in the structure of the inner ear and confirmed by molecular biological data of the cytochrome b sequences of the mitochondrial DNA , a very close relationship between the horseshoe flying squirrel and the dwarf flying squirrel ( Petinomys ) is confirmed. Both genera overlap in their distribution area in South and Southeast Asia, a separation of the genera from one another is assumed during the Pleistocene about 2.2 million years ago.

Hazard and protection

Three species of horseshoe flying squirrels are currently on the IUCN Red List. The Sumatran flying squirrel has the status "critically endangered". Almost nothing is known about this species because it has not been found since it was first described in 1949; this means that the holotype is the only known specimen. The same goes for the Sipora flying squirrel; however, it only has the status "threatened", since the lack of rediscovery may also be related to the remoteness of the island of Sipora. Also threatened is the black and white flying squirrel, which has lost 50% of its habitat within ten years due to forest destruction.

literature

  • Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 85-86. 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 .
  • Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Genus Hylopetes - Flying Squirrels. 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. 175 ff.

supporting documents

  1. ^ A b c Robert S. Hoffmann, Andrew T. Smith: Genus Hylopetes - Flying Squirrels. 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. 175 ff.
  2. ↑ a b c Nowak, RM (1999) pp. 1301-1302
  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. ↑ a b Hylopetes . 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 .
  5. ↑ a b JL Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Genus Hylopetes. 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 , pp. 763-766.
  6. ↑ Tatsuo Oshida, Liang-Kong Lin, Hisashi Yanagawa, Hideki Endo, Ryuichi Masuda: Phylogenetic Relationships among Six Flying Squirrel Gener, a Inferred from Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene Sequences. Zoological Science 17 (4), 2000; Pp. 485-489. doi : 10.2108 / 0289-0003 (2000) 17 [485: PRASFS] 2.0.CO; 2

Web links

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