Sundasciurus hippurus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818684 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFDC-ED21-FAF4-FC5CF9F1FB66 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Sundasciurus hippurus |
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Horse-tailed Squirrel
Sundasciurus hippurus View in CoL
French: Ecureuil a queue de cheval / German: Pferdeschwanz-Hoérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla de cola de caballo
Taxonomy. Sciurus hippurus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831 ,
“Java.”
Restricted by H. C. Robinson and C. B. Kloss in 1918 to Malaysia.
Seven subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
S.h.hippurus1.GeoffroySaint-Hilaire,1831—RangenotcertainbutlikelyMalay:PeninsulaandESumatra.
S.h.borneensisGray,1867—mostofBorneo(Brunei,Sarawak,Kalimantan).
S.h.hippurosusLyon,1907—WcoastofSumatra.
S.h.ornatusDaoVanTien&CaoVanSung,1990—SVietnam(CaMauProvince).
S. h. pryeri Thomas, 1892 — N Borneo, throughout Sabah, Malaysia.
Descriptive notes. Head—body mean 247 mm (males) and 235 mm (females), tail mean 235 mm (males) and 246 mm (females); weight mean 429-9 g (males) and 432.7 g (females). Pelage of the Horse-tailed Squirrel varies geographically. On the Malay Peninsula, dorsum is a bright chestnut, head, shoulders, and sides are speckled black and gray, venter is deep brick red and tail is extremely thick, bushy, and completely glassy black. In Borneo, dorsum is reddish brown, head and shoulders are gray. Subspecies borneensis has brick red venter, with shoulders and thighs that are heavily grizzled gray. Subspecies hippurellus has dark reddish venter, and tail is not very similar to a horse’s tail, although it is still very thick, bushy, and entirely dark in most individuals. Tail tip of some individuals can be reddish. Subspecies hippurosus is larger than other subspecies. Subspecies inquinatus has dull orange ventral fur. In the subspecies ornatus, head, shoulders, rump, and upper surfaces of limbs are grayish brown, suffused with ocherous on flanks. Anterior part of mid-dorsal area is washed with rufous color, and posterior part is glossy red-brown bordered thinly with orange-brown. Venter is bright chestnut, tail is dark brown on basal one-third and red on tip. Subspecies pryeri has white venter, which is red tinged in some individuals, and tail is grizzled.
Habitat. Tall and secondary forests from lowlands to hills. On Malay Peninsula, the Horse-tailed Squirrel occurs only from the lowlandsto the hills of the main area of distribution, up to elevations of ¢.1006 m in Mount Tahan. In Borneo, the species occurs throughout the lowlands and the hills, except in eastern parts of Central Kalimantan and in the south part of the island. In Sarawak, Malaysia,it was recorded at an elevation of ¢.1524 m on Mount Dulit.
Food and Feeding. The Horse-tailed Squirrel feeds on seeds, fruits, and insects.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. The Horse-tailed Squirrel is diurnal, using the forest undercanopy, understory, and ground. It is often seen in small trees, and the most common vocalization is described as “chek chek chekchekchekchek.”
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Horse-tailed Squirrel is frequently observed alone or in pairs. A population density of 0-04 ind/ha was estimated in Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Kedah, Malaysia.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Horse-tailed Squirrel prefers primarily lowland forest, where it is common, but is also found in secondary forests. It is threatened by habitat loss due to logging and agricultural conversion.
Bibliography. Francis et al. (2015), Medway (1969, 1977), Robinson & Kloss (1918a), Saiful & Nordin (2004), 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.
