Weber miniature squirrel
| Weber miniature squirrel | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Prosciurillus weberi | ||||||||||||
| ( Jentink , 1890) |
The weaver's dwarf squirrel ( Prosciurillus weberi ) is a little researched squirrel species from the genus of the Sulawesi dwarf squirrel ( Prosciurillus ). It is named after the German-Dutch zoologist Max Wilhelm Carl Weber , who collected the holotype in 1889 .
features
The Weber dwarf squirrel reaches a head-trunk length of 187 mm and a tail length of 142 mm. The top is dark brown with tan, orange, and black markings. The underside is reddish-orange. The Weber dwarf squirrel is characterized by protruding black tufts of ears and a broad, black stripe on the back that extends from the neck to the base of the tail. It differs from the closely related whitish Sulawesi dwarf squirrel ( Prosciurillus leucomus ) in the lack of neck markings.
Distribution, habitat and way of life
The weaver's dwarf squirrel is known from disjoint areas in Sulawesi . It occurs in tropical, evergreen rainforests in the coastal lowlands at altitudes of up to 100 m around the mountains in central Sulawesi and on the northern edge of the Gulf of Bone in the southern part of the island. Nothing is known about his way of life. Because of its morphological similarity to the species Prosciurillus topapuensis and Prosciurillus alstoni , it is assumed that the Weber dwarf squirrel lives in the upper canopy and feeds on soft fruits and insects.
status
The IUCN lists the Weber miniature squirrel in the category of “insufficient data” ( data deficient ). The species is only known from isolated sites and old museum specimens. No research was carried out in the plains regions in question. The information content about the size of the population or about the decline is currently too little to be able to assign this species to an adequate risk category of the IUCN. Despite its widespread distribution, the weaver's miniature squirrel has rarely been observed. Only a few museum specimens are known, the majority of which were collected in lowland areas before 1950.
Systematics
The Weber dwarf squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the Sulawesi dwarf squirrel ( Prosciurillus ), which currently consists of seven species, while only five species were recognized until 2005. The first scientific description comes from Fredericus Anna Jentink from 1880, who described the species using individuals from Sulawesi.
Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species
supporting documents
- ^ A b Fredericus Anna Jentink : Mammalia from the Malay archipelago II .: Rodentia, Insectivora, Chiroptera. In: Max Wilhelm Carl Weber (Ed.): Zoological results of a trip in Dutch East India. Part 1, 1890. p. 115 ( Biodiversity Heritage Library )
- ↑ a b Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 179-180. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ↑ a b c Prosciurillus weberi 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
- Musser, GG, Durden, LA, Holden, ME and Light, JE 2010. Systematic review of endemic Sulawesi squirrels (Rodentia, Sciuridae), with descriptions of new species of associated sucking lice (Insecta, Anoplura), and phylogenetic and zoogeographic assessments of sciurid lice . Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 339: 1-260. (here: pp. 103–105)
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 179-180. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Web links
- Prosciurillus weberi inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.2. Posted by: Helgen, K. & Aplin, K., 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2014.