Callosciurus

Callosciurus is a genus of squirrels collectively referred to as the "beautiful squirrels". They are found mainly in Southeast Asia, though a few species also occur in Nepal, northeastern India, Bangladesh and southern China.[1] Several of the species have settled on islands. In total, the genus contains 15 species and numerous varieties and subspecies.[1] The genera Glyphotes, Rubrisciurus, and Tamiops have sometimes been included in Callosciurus.

Callosciurus
Temporal range: Early Pleistocene to Recent
Prevost's squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Tribe: Callosciurini
Genus: Callosciurus
Gray, 1867
Species
  • Callosciurus adamsi (Kloss, 1921)
  • Callosciurus albescens (Bonhote, 1901)
  • Callosciurus baluensis (Bonhote, 1901)
  • Callosciurus caniceps (Gray, 1842)
  • Callosciurus erythraeus (Pallas, 1779)
  • Callosciurus finlaysonii (Horsfield, 1824)
  • Callosciurus honkhoaiensis (Nguyen et al., 2018)
  • Callosciurus inornatus (Gray, 1867)
  • Callosciurus melanogaster (Thomas, 1895)
  • Callosciurus nigrovittatus (Horsfield, 1824)
  • Callosciurus notatus (Boddaert, 1785)
  • Callosciurus orestes (Thomas, 1895)
  • Callosciurus phayrei (Blyth, 1856)
  • Callosciurus prevostii (Desmarest, 1822)
  • Callosciurus pygerythrus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831)
  • Callosciurus quinquestriatus (Anderson, 1871)

Species

There are approximately 15 species in this genus,[1] and over 60 subspecies. These squirrels range in length from 13 to 27 cm (5.1 to 10.6 in), not including the tail which is often about the same length as the body.[2][3] Most are rather dull olive-brown to gray and several have a pale and dark stripe on their side, however a few are very colorful.[2] The Pallas squirrel may have an unremarkable olive-gray back, while its belly is often –but not always– bright red.[4] The "typical" subspecies of Prevost's squirrels have black backs, white sides, and red-brown undersides. The Finlayson's squirrel occurs in numerous varieties, three of which are overall red-brown, overall black, or pure white.[2]

Most squirrels in Callosciurus live in tropical rain forests, but some individuals live in parks and gardens in cities. In the trees, they build their nests out of plant material. They are solitary, and give birth to one to five young. Their food consists of nuts, fruits, and seeds, and also of insects and bird eggs.

ImageScientific nameCommon nameDescriptionDistribution
Callosciurus quinquestriatusAnderson's squirrelMade up of two subspecies, C. q. quinqestriatus andC. q. imarius.[5] This species is listed as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN due to habitat loss.[6]China and Myanmar
Callosciurus nigrovittatusblack-striped squirrelThis taxon consists of four subspecies: C. n. nigrovittatus, C. n. bilimitatus, C. n. bocki, and C. n. klossi.[5] It is listed as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN.[7]Java, Sumatra, southern Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and numerous small islands
Callosciurus orestesBorneo black-banded squirrelListed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN.[8]Endemic to northern Borneo
Callosciurus adamsiear-spot squirrelListed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN.[1][9]northern Borneo
Callosciurus finlaysonii, misspelled C. finlaysoniFinlayson's squirrel, variable squirrelCambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Callosciurus canicepsGrey-bellied squirrelconsist of six subspecies found in forests, plantations and gardensPeninsular Malaysia, Thailand, southern Myanmar, southern China (Yunnan) and possibly western Laos.[10]
Callosciurus honkhoaiensisHon Khoai squirrelFirst described in 2018, it is a dwarf species related to the grey-bellied squirrel, from which it probably diverged during the Pliocene.[11]found only on Hon Khoai island off the southern tip of Vietnam
Callosciurus inornatusinornate squirrelThis squirrel was once considered a subspecies of Callosciurus pygerythrus, and as a result several texts inaccurately cite C. pygerythrus as being found in these areas.[12] The reclassification was based on different fur characteristics, placing it closer in relation to C. caniceps.[12][13] It is listed as "Least Concern" by IUCN.[12]distributed across Laos, Vietnam, and the Chinese province of Yunnan.
Callosciurus pygerythrusIrrawaddy squirrelMade up of seven subspeciesfound throughout Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal.[5][14]
Callosciurus baluensisKinabalu squirrelIts tail and upperparts are grizzled blackish, the underparts are reddish-orange, and the flanks have a narrow buff stripe with a broader black stripe below.[3] This species is listed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN.[15]endemic to northeastern Borneo, specifically the wide area around Mount Kinabalu.[1]
Callosciurus albescensKloss's squirrelpopulation data is insufficient to assess its endangerment status according to the IUCN.[1][16] It is debated whether it is a subspecies of C. notatus, which would make Kloss's squirrel instead be named C. notatus albescens.endemic to northern Sumatra
Callosciurus melanogasterMentawai squirrelIt is further dived into three subspecies: C. m. melanogaster, C. m. mentawi, and C. m. atratus.[5] This small isolated population is listed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN due to habitat loss.[17]native to the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra
Callosciurus phayreiPhayre's squirrellisted as "Least Concern" by the IUCN.[1][18]found in China and southern Myanmar
Callosciurus notatusplantain squirrelfound in a wide range of habitats: forests, mangroves, parks, gardens, agricultural areasIndonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
Callosciurus prevostiiPrevost's squirrel, Asian tri-colored squirrelforest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby smaller islands, with an introduced population in northern Sulawesi.
Callosciurus erythraeusPallas's squirrel, red-bellied tree squirrelGreater China, India, and Southeast Asia.
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References
  1. Thorington, R.W., Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae: Genus Callosciurus". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 26158608.
  2. Francis, C. M. (2008). A Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia. ISBN 978-0-691-13551-9
  3. Payne, J., and C. M. Francis (1985), A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. ISBN 967-99947-1-6
  4. Smith, T. S., and Y. Xie, editors (2008). A Guide to the Mammals of China. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2
  5. Thorington, R.W., Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 26158608.
  6. Lunde, D.; Duckworth, J. W.; Lee, B. & Tizard, R. J. (2008). "Callosciurus quinquestriatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T3605A9977678. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T3605A9977678.en. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  7. Duckworth, J. W.; Lee, B. & Tizard, R. J. (2008). "Callosciurus nigrovittatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T3599A9967361. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T3599A9967361.en. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  8. Duckworth, J. W.; Lee, B. & Tizard, R. J. (2008). "Callosciurus orestes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  9. Duckworth, J. W. & Meijaard, E. (2008). "Callosciurus adamsi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  10. Duckworth, J. W. (2008). "Callosciurus caniceps". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  11. Nguyen, Son Truong; Oshida, Tatsuo; Dang, Phuong Huy; Bui, Hai Tuan; Motokawa, Masaharu (June 2018). "A new species of squirrel (Sciuridae:Callosciurus) from an isolated island off the Indochina Peninsula in southern Vietnam". Journal of Mammalogy. 99 (4): 813–825. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyy061.
  12. Duckworth, J. W. & Timmins, R. J. (2008). "Callosciurus inornatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  13. Corbet and Hill, 1992
  14. Shrestha, N.; Sarkar, S. K.; Lunde, D.; Duckworth, J. W.; Lee, B.; Tizard, R. J. & Molur, S. (2008). "Callosciurus pygerythrus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  15. Duckworth, J. W.; Meijaard, E. & Gumal, M. (2008). "Callosciurus baluensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  16. Meijaard, E. & van Strien, N. J. (2008). "Callosciurus albescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  17. Lunde, D.; Duckworth, J. W.; Lee, B. & Tizard, R. J. (2008). "Callosciurus melanogaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  18. Chiozza, F. (2008). "Callosciurus phayrei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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