Smoky gray flying squirrel

Smoky gray flying squirrel
	Smoky gray flying squirrel ; (lithograph by Joseph Smit in the first description in 1873, based on a drawing by Joseph Wolf )
Systematics
Subordination :	Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family :	Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily :	Tree squirrel and flying squirrel (Sciurinae)
Tribe :	Flying Squirrel (Pteromyini)
Genre :	Pteromyscus
Type :	Smoky gray flying squirrel
Scientific name of the genus
	Pteromyscus
	Thomas , 1908
Scientific name of the species
	Pteromyscus pulverulentus
	( Günther , 1873)

The smoke-gray flying squirrel ( Pteromyscus pulverulentus ) is a Southeast Asian species of flying squirrel . It lives in the tropical rainforests of the Malay Peninsula , Sumatra and Borneos and is the only representative of the genus Pteromyscus .

features

The smoke-gray flying squirrel is a medium-sized flying squirrel and reaches a head-trunk length of 20 to about 29 centimeters, the tail length is 17.7 to 24 centimeters. The animals weigh about 134 to 315 grams. It is about twice as big as the North American northern flying squirrel ( Glaucomys sabrinus ). The fur is smoky gray to brown or black with white speckles on the upper side, the underside is whitish and the throat yellowish. The color of the tail corresponds to the fur on the back, the underside of the sliding membranes and the face are colored light gray to gray-brown and the edge of the sliding membranes is yellowish-white.

distribution

The smoky-gray flying squirrel lives in the tropical rainforests of the Malay Peninsula from southern Thailand to Malaysia as well as on Sumatra and Borneo .

Way of life

Very little information is available about the animals' way of life. Like other flying squirrels, the smoky gray flying squirrel is crepuscular to nocturnal and tree-living. It lays its nest in tree hollows or on branches of tall trees in the undisturbed primary forest below 3000 meters. The animals feed omnivorously on insects as well as on berries and seeds.

Reproduction is likely to occur throughout the year with a peak between April and June, but so far only a few pregnant females have been captured. The females get one to two young animals per litter.

Systematics

The smoke-gray flying squirrel is classified as the only and independent species within the monotypical genus of the tiny flying squirrel ( Pteromyscus ). The first scientific description comes from Albert Günther from 1873 as Sciuropterus pulverulentus based on an individual from the Malay island of Penang . The genus Pteromyscus was first described and established in 1908 by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas . It was created when the genus Sciuropterus , which was later synonymous with Pteromys , was divided into several new genera. Thomas mainly used different tooth features to differentiate the genera from one another. Pteromyscus pulverulentus served as the nomenclature type . At the same time he described in the work Pteromyscus borneanus as a new species that is now considered a subspecies. A closer relationship probably exists to the species of the genera Aeromys , Belomys and Trogopterus , with which the animals share numerous morphological features.

Two subspecies are distinguished within the species:

Pteromyscus pulverulentus pulverulentus ( Günther, 1873 ): nominate form; this subspecies lives on the Malay Peninsula as well as on Penang and Sumatra.
Pteromyscus pulverulentus borneanus Thomas, 1908 lives in the north-west of Borneo and differs from the nominate form by the clear, white underside of the body.

Existence, endangerment and protection

The smoke-gray flying squirrel is classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified by a strong decline in populations of probably more than 50% over the past few years as well as a rapidly progressing loss of suitable habitats in the range of the animals. The animals are not common even in optimal habitats in the primary forest and there are probably only two populations that can be classified as safe in Mt. Kinabalu National Park and another protected area in its vicinity. In less optimal and disturbed habitats on the Malay Peninsula, the species is partially displaced by the Horsfield's flying squirrel ( Iomys horsfieldii ).

Loss of habitat due to the conversion of forests into agricultural areas and logging is considered to be the main source of risk.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d J.L. Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Genus Pteromyscus; Smoke Flying Squirrel - Pteromyscus pulverulentus. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978-84 -941892-3-4 , p. 778.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 131-132. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Pteromyscus pulverulentus in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2017.1. Posted by: E. Vlayton, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
^ ^A ^b ^c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Pteromyscus pulverulentus in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
↑ 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 ).

literature

Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 131-132. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
JL Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Genus Pteromyscus; Smoke Flying Squirrel - Pteromyscus pulverulentus. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978-84 -941892-3-4 , p. 778.
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 .

Web links

Commons : Smoky gray flying squirrel ( Pteromyscus pulverulentus ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Pteromyscus pulverulentus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.1. Posted by: E. Vlayton, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2017.

[Koprowski_et_al._2016-1] J.L. Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Genus Pteromyscus; Smoke Flying Squirrel - Pteromyscus pulverulentus. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978-84 -941892-3-4 , p. 778.

[Thorington_et_al._2012-2] Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 131-132. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

[IUCN-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Pteromyscus pulverulentus in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2017.1. Posted by: E. Vlayton, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2017.

[Wilson_&_Reeder_2005-4] A ^b ^c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Pteromyscus pulverulentus in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).

[Thomas_1908-5] 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 ).