Euxerus erythropus (E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6840606 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FF84-ED7A-FAC1-F767FBCBFF3B |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Euxerus erythropus |
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Striped Ground Squirrel
Euxerus erythropus View in CoL
French: Ecureuil de Geoffroy / German: Gestreiftes Borstenhérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla terrestre rayada
Other common names: Geoffroy’s Ground Squirrel, West African Ground Squirrel
Taxonomy. Sciurus erythopus [sic] E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803 ,
type locality not
given.
Six subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
E.e.chadensisThomas,1905—SNiger,NNigeria,SChad,NECameroon,andSudan.
E.e.lacustrisThomas,1905—NEDRCongoandNWUganda.
E.e.leucoumbrinusRuppell,1835—scattereddistributionthroughSenegaltoEritrea,EthiopiaandNWKenya.
E.e.imitaneusThomas&Hinton,1923—SEChad,NECentralAfricanRepublic,Sudan,andSouthSudan.
E. e. microdon Thomas, 1905 — Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, W Nigeria to C Kenya.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 223-290 mm,tail 185-262 mm; weight 500-950 g. The Striped Ground Squirrelis large-bodied and has sandy red dorsum, with striking white longitudinal stripes from shoulders to hips. Venter is covered with sparse white hair. Whitish eye ring extends behind ears. Limbs are pale buff. Long distichous tail is sandy rufous that fades gradually toward tip. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38 and FN =
at least 68. Complete karyotypic data are not available, but sex chromosomes consist of submetacentric X-chromosome and an acrocentric Y-chromosome.
Habitat. Grasslands and open woodlands, coastal shrublands, and mangrove and other wet forests, often in cultivated agricultural lands and secondary forests, at elevations of 600-1800 m.
Food and Feeding. The Striped Ground Squirrel is primarily herbivorous, with a diet ofleaves, flowers, fruits, acacia pods, grass, and tree seeds. It also eats insects, reptiles, eggs, and nestlings. To deal with food scarcity, it larderhoards tree seeds in burrows and scatterhoards seeds by burial often camouflaged with a leaf or small stone. It is likely a significant disperseroftree seeds.
Breeding. Multiple male Striped Ground Squirrels pursue an estrous female in a mating chase. Females give birth to litters of 2-6 young during resource-rich periods in central dens lined with grass and twigs.
Activity patterns. The Striped Ground Squirrel is diurnal and spends most ofits time on the ground, although individuals will climb low trees. Individuals emerge from their burrows well after dawn and return several hours before dusk. Activity patterns are influenced by weather, with morning activity more intense than afternoon, but negatively impacted by cloud cover or rain. When midday sun becomes strong, individuals periodically retreat to shade and press their venter against cooler ground. It appears attracted to areas of human disturbance, forages in cultivatedfields, and moves through clearings and along roadsides, often pausing to stand upright and bevigilant.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Striped Ground Squirrels forage alone and, at first glance, appear relatively asocial. Aggression and territoriality are uncommon. Individuals briefly greet one another through oral-nasal contact, with one individual usually submissiveto the other; this hierarchy appears to be well established. Individuals share burrows with fluid mixed-sex groups. Large home ranges are traversed and cover many burrows systems among which individuals rotate. Female home ranges are 1:3-12-4 ha and can expand to 40 ha; males have larger home ranges and may explore linear distances up to 3 km/day. Scent marking by rubbing cheek glands on structures is common across home ranges, and feces are deposited in vicinity of burrow entrances, suggestive of marking. Burrow systems are generally less than 1m deep and contain 1-3 entrances and plugged emergency exits. At night, entrances are blocked with soil and sometimes vegetation. Striped Ground Squirrels also nest in rock crevices, tree-root clusters, and termite nests for refuge at night. If mildly distressed, individuals with quickly become upright and arch theirtails over dorsa. When alarmed, they lowerto the ground and reflect tails over dorsa. They are not highly vocal but makea series of chatters.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Striped Ground Squirrel is common and widespread, sometimes quite abundant (e.g. in Kenya), well represented in protected areas, and adaptable to human-modified landscapes. Populations appearstable, and no particular threats have been identified.
Bibliography. Angelici & Luiselli (2005), Buchanan & Gibbons (1974), Coe (1972), Craig et al. (1998), Delany (1975), Delany & Happold (1979), Dorst & Dandelot (1970), Ewer (1965, 1966, 1968), Herron & Waterman (2004), Herron et al. (2005), Hoogstraal (1955), Hopf et al. (1976), Hubalek (1987), Kemp et al. (1974), Key (1985, 1990a, 1990b), Kingdon (1974), Linn & Key (1996), Logan et al. (1993), Marinkelle & Abdalla (1978), O'Shea (1976), Robinson (1969), Rosevear (1969), Thorington et al. (2012), Waterman (2013a).
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