Petaurista albiventer (Gray, 1834)

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 648-837 : 769

137. White-bellied Giant Flying Squirrel

Petaurista albiventer

French: Pétauriste a ventre blanc / German: Weil3bauch-Riesengleithérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla voladora gigante de

vientre blanco

Taxonomy. Pteromys albiventer Gray, 1834 ,

“Nepal.”

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P. a. albiventer Gray, 1834 — N India (Pun-

jab region and Uttarakhand State), Nepal,

S China (SE Tibet = Xizang and NW Yun-

nan). Unconfirmed populations may be

present in NE Afghanistan and in the Khy-

ber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces of

Pakistan.

P. a. barron: Kloss, 1916 — From Phitsanulok Province in N Thailand to SE Thailand.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 326-550 mm,tail 390-450 mm; weight 1.1-1.8 kg. The White-bellied Giant Flying Squirrel is large, with well-defined blackish eye ring, white throat, and black color on distal one-third oftail. Rest oftail is bright bay. Cheeks are rufous. Long dark silky fur on upper parts is dark mahogany red, with white speckling. Gliding membrane is dark brown, and underparts are off-white to pale buff. Melanistic population occurs in the Kaghan Valley of Pakistan.

Habitat. Moist temperate forests. Subspecies barroni is constrained to elevations of 1350-3050 m (tree line).

Food and Feeding. The White-bellied Giant Flying Squirrel feeds mainly on leaves of pindrow fir (Abies pindrow) and blue pine (Pinus wallichiana), both Pinaceae; tilonj oak (Quercusfloribunda, Fagaceae); Himalayan poplar (Populus ciliate, Salicaceae); and Himalayan elm (Ulmus wallichiana, Ulmaceae). It also eats flowers, buds, pinecones, fruit, lichens, bark, moss, and seeds. It favors acorns ofhill oak (Quercus dilatata) in October and horse chestnuts (Aesculus indica, Fagaceae) and walnuts (Juglans regia, Juglandaceae) in July.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. White-bellied Giant Flying Squirrels nest in conifers or deciduous trees. They spend the day in tree cavities high aboveground. They are active yearround and do not hibernate.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. If habitat is available, the Whitebellied Giant Flying Squirrel undertakes limited elevational migration.

Status and Conservation. Not yet assessed on The IUCN Red List. Current population trend of the White-bellied Giant Flying Squirrel is unknown. Proper management and conservation may be hindered by lack of basic ecological knowledge.

Bibliography. Jackson (2012), Jackson & Thorington (2012).