Prosciurillus abstrusus, Moore, 1958
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6840511 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFC6-ED3B-FAF4-F948F70AFB50 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Prosciurillus abstrusus |
| status |
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Secretive Dwarf Squirrel
Prosciurillus abstrusus View in CoL
French: Ecureuil discret / German: Mekongga-Zwerghdrnchen / Spanish: Ardilla enana sigilosa
Taxonomy. Prosciurillus abstrusus Moore, 1958 View in CoL ,
“...Gunong Tanke Salokko, ‘Meng-
koka Geb.”
[Mekongga Gebirgte], in
the southeastern peninsula of Celebes, latitude 3° 40° S., longtitude 121° 13’ E.” (Sulawesi, Indonesia).
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Mekongga Mts area in SE Sulawesi.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 115-148 mm, tail 72-130 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Secretive Dwarf Squirrel is one of the smallest endemic squirrels of Sulawesi. Dorsum, head, and tail are dark brown, flecked with pale buff, and venter is dark grayish white. Dorsal surfaces of ears are conspicuously white, and some specimens have a pale buff wash on chest fur. It is similar in color and size to the Celebes Dwarf Squirrel (P. murinus), but with a duller color and white patches in ears, which the Celebes Dwarf Squirrel does not have.
Habitat. Elevations of¢.1500-2000 m,in transitional habitat from lower to upper tropical montane forest.
Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.
Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but female Secretive Dwarf Squirrels have three pairs of teats, two inguinal and one post-axillary.
Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Secretive Dwarf Squirrel is diurnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Secretive Dwarf Squirrel is only known by the 30 original specimens collected in 1932 by G. Heinrich and by one additional specimen collected in the 1950s, all in the Mekongga Mountains in SE Sulawesi, a mountain range that has not been surveyed since the species’ description in 1958. The habitat ofthis area is considered to be relatively intact, but new surveys are needed to confirm this.
Bibliography. Chiozza (20089), Musser et al. (2010), 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.
