Funisciurus isabella (Gray, 1862)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6819077 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFB7-ED4A-FACE-F95DF96AFA52 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Funisciurus isabella |
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Lady Burton’s Rope Squirrel
Funisciurus isabella View in CoL
French: Ecureuil de Lady Burton / German: Lady-Burton-Rotschenkelhérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla listada africana de Lady Burton
Taxonomy. Sciurus isabella Gray, 1862 ,
“Camaroon Mountains, 7000 feet [2100 m |
above the level of the sea,” Cameroon.
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Endemic to WC Africa, patchily distributed from W Cameroon Highlands to W Central African Republic and S through W Republic of the Congo to C Gabon,isolated record in S Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville).
Descriptive notes. Head—body mean 161-3 (males) and 165-3 mm (females), tail 148-8 mm (males) and 161-3 mm (females); weight mean 107-1 g. Lady Burton’s Rope Squirrel is small-bodied and has grizzled golden brown dorsum, with four black longitudinalstripes that extend from crown of head to base of tail. Fourstripes are separated by brown stripes that are paler in color; cream-to-buff eye ring is usually present. Venteris pale gray. Tail is thin and long with cream base to black near distal end, frosted with buff.
Habitat. Rainforests with thick brush lower than 10 m and mature rainforests up to elevations of ¢.2100 m. Lady Burton’s Rope Squirrels are occupy dense secondary growth, forested gardens, and cultivated areas.
Food and Feeding. [Lady Burton’s Rope Squirrels are opportunistic omnivores and feed predominantly on fruits, seeds, and green vegetation (90% of the dry mass from stomach contents); however, fungi and arthropods, especially ants, termites, and lepidopteran larvae, are frequently eaten.
Breeding. Litter size appears to be small, with only a single young reported.
Activity patterns. Lady Burton’s Rope Squirrel is diurnal and forages in different canopy layers.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. [Lady Burton's Rope Squirrel forages alone (69%) or in small groups (31%). Nests are found in the canopy and are formed of dry leaves and fibers. Vocalizations inform on the location of individuals in dense habitat. When mildly alarmed, it emits a progression of chucks; elevated levels of threat result in sustained warbling that consists of 2-10 connected frequency-modulated pulses of sound preceded by repetitive shorter warbles.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Lady Burton’s Rope Squirrel is widespread, presumably has large populations, and occurs in protected areas. There are no major threats and it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.
Bibliography. Amtmann (1966), Bates (1905), Dubost (1968), Emmons (1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 2013c), Rosevear (1969), Thorington et al. (2012).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
