Sunda tree squirrel
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Sunda squirrel |
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| Moore , 1958 |
The Sunda tree squirrels ( Sundasciurus ) are a genus of squirrels that is widespread in Southeast Asia and is very rich in species and shapes.
features
Anatomically, the animals are similar to the real beautiful squirrels , but are more simply colored. Mostly their fur is gray or brown on top and gray, white or orange on the underside.
distribution
The species of the genus are distributed in Southeast Asia, with the distribution areas of the various species being of different sizes. Some species such as the Sunda slender squirrel , the ponytail squirrel or the low squirrel come in several subspecies from southern Thailand and mainland Malaysia to the Malay, Indonesian and Philippine islands and thus have a comparatively large distribution area. Other species are only endemic to individual archipelagos, islands or island areas.
Way of life
Sunda tree squirrels are inhabitants of tropical rainforests . There they live in near-ground, middle or higher regions of the trees. Their diet consists mainly of fruits and nuts, usually with insects.
Systematics
The Sunda tree squirrels were separated from the real beautiful squirrels ( Callosciurus ) by Joseph Curtis Moore in 1958 due to various skull features , and he chose the low squirrel ( Sundasciurus lowii ) as the nomenclature type . The division into the two subgenus Aletesciurus and Sundasciurus also goes back to this work.
There are different opinions about the number of species. Some sources combine several species into one common species, while others recognize more species. The list with the division into two subgenera and 15 species follows Wilson & Reeder 2005, Thorington et al. In 2012, 17 and the Handbook of the Mammals of the World from 2016 even described 18 species.
- Brooke's squirrel , Sundasciurus brookei ( Thomas , 1892 ), Borneo
- Davao squirrel , Sundasciurus davensis ( Sanborn , 1952 ), Mindanao
- Mentawai tree squirrel , Sundasciurus fraterculus ( Thomas , 1895 ), Mentawai Islands
- Ponytail squirrel , Sundasciurus hippurus ( I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , 1831 ), Malay Peninsula , Sumatra , Borneo
- Busuanga squirrel , Sundasciurus hoogstraali ( Sanborn , 1952 ), Busuanga
- Jentink squirrel , Sundasciurus jentinki ( Thomas , 1887 ), Borneo
- Northern Palawan squirrel , Sundasciurus juvencus ( Thomas , 1908 ), Palawan
- Low-squirrel , Sundasciurus lowii ( Thomas , 1892 ), Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo
- Mindanao squirrel , Sundasciurus mindanensis ( Steere , 1890 ), Mindanao and neighboring islands
- Culion squirrel , Sundasciurus moellendorffi ( Matschie , 1898 ), Culion
- Philippines squirrel , Sundasciurus philippinensis ( Waterhouse , 1839 ), Mindanao , Basilan
- Palawan mountain squirrel , Sundasciurus rabori Heaney , 1979 , Palawan
- Samar squirrel , Sundasciurus samarensis ( Steere , 1890 ), Samar
- Southern Palawan squirrel , Sundasciurus steerii ( Günther , 1877 ), Palawan and neighboring islands
- Sunda squirrel , Sundasciurus tenuis ( Horsfield , 1824 ), Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo
In addition to the types mentioned, Thorington et al. 2012 also Sundasciurus altitudinis ( Robinson and Kloss, 1916 ) from the mountains of Sumatra, Indonesia, and Sundasciurus tahan ( Bonhote, 1908 ) from the highlands of the Malay Peninsula, Malaysia. This builds on a molecular biological work on the phylogeny of the genus by Robert den Tex and others from 2010. In the 2016 Handbook of the Mammals of the World, the Borneo mountain squirrel ( Sundasciurus everetti ) is also placed in this genus, which, according to recent molecular biological studies, is closely related to the species of the Sunda tree squirrel ( Sundasciurus ). In mid-2020, two subspecies of the low squirrel became separate species, Sundasciurus natunensis from the Natuna Islands and Sundasciurus robinsoni from the Malay Peninsula.
The division of the genus into the subgenera Aletesciurus and Sundasciurus in Wilson & Reeder 2005 has been considered obsolete since mid-2020, as there are no convincing diagnostic features for the subgenera.
Threat and protection
The IUCN has classified the Jentink squirrel, Palawan mountain squirrel and Samar squirrel as endangered. The Northern Palawan Squirrel is considered threatened. Because of the deforestation of the rainforests, all species are likely to decline continuously.
supporting documents
- ^ Joseph Curtis Moore : New genera of East Indian squirrels. American Museum Novitates 1914, 1958; Pp. 1-5. Full text
- ↑ a b Sundasciurus ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 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 .
- ↑ a b Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 183 ff. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ↑ JJ Koprwski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Genus Sundasciurus. 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; Pp. 724-729. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4
- ↑ Robert-Jan den Tex, Richard Thorington, Jesus E. Maldonado, Jennifer A. Leonard: Speciation dynamics in the SE Asian tropics: Putting a time perspective on the phylogeny and biogeography of Sundaland tree squirrels, Sundasciurus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55 (2), May 2010; Pp. 711-720 doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2009.12.023 .
- ↑ Melissa TR Hawkins, Kristofer M. Helgen, Jesus E. Maldonado, Larry L. Rockwood, Mirian TN Tsuchiya, Jennifer A. Leonard: Phylogeny, biogeography and systematic revision of plain long-nosed squirrels (genus Dremomys, Nannosciurinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, online October 31, 2015. doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2015.10.023
- ↑ JJ Koprwski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Bornean Mountain Ground Squirrel; Sundasciurus everetti. 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; Pp. 728-729. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4
- ↑ a b Arlo Hinckley, Melissa TR Hawkins, Anang S. Achmadi, Jesús E. Maldonado and Jennifer A. Leonard. 2020. Ancient Divergence Driven by Geographic Isolation and Ecological Adaptation in Forest Dependent Sundaland Tree Squirrels. Front. Ecol. Evol. DOI: 10.3389 / fevo.2020.00208
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 183 ff. 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 .
- 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 .
