Microsciurus mimulus (Thomas, 1898)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818810 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFFD-ED00-FA62-FC43F8E0FD17 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Microsciurus mimulus |
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Western Dwart Squirrel
Microsciurus mimulus View in CoL
French: Ecureuil d'Esmeraldas / German: Westliches Zwerghdrnchen / Spanish: Ardilla enana occidental
Other common names: Isthmian Dwarf Squirrel (isthmius)
Taxonomy. Sciurus mimulus Thomas, 1898 ,
“Ecuador, Esmeraldas, Cachavi, 665 ft.”
Three subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
M.m.mimulusThomas,1898—SWColombiaandNWEcuador.
M.m.boguetensisNelson,1903—nearlyallofPanama,andextendingintoNWColombia.
M. m. isthmus Nelson, 1899 — SW Panama and W Colombia. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 135-148 mm, tail 94-116 mm; weight mean 120 g. The Western Dwarf Squirrel has grizzled brown dorsum, suffused with pale yellow or salmon and occasionally with black mid-dorsal line. Venteris pale buff to salmon. Tail is grizzled black-brown, with slight frosting of yellow or gray. Limbs are relatively elongated. Nominate mimulus has black mid-dorsal line. Subspecies boquetensis is pale on dorsum, with ocherous rufous venter. Subspecies isthmius has yellowish dorsum, enhanced with faint reddish near the posterior.
Habitat. Evergreen foothills and highland forests at elevations above 800 m in Panama but lower elevations in Colombia and Ecuador.
Food and Feeding. Western Dwarf Squirrels forage rapidly along the ground and in the lower forest canopy, perhaps foraging for insects as noted in other species of Microsciurus.
Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but pairs of Western Dwarf Squirrels are occasionally seen.
Activity patterns. Western Dwarf Squirrels are diurnal. They are sympatric with Central American Dwarf Squirrels (M. alfari) but are found at higher elevations. Where Western Dwarf Squirrels are sympatric with Andean Squirrels (Sciurus pucheranii), they seem to move to lower elevations.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Western Dwarf Squirrel is believed to be stable. Habitat loss and fragmentation are major conservation threats. Deforestation is rapidly affecting areas inhabited by the Western Dwarf Squirrel, but it seems secure across its entire distribution. Lack of knowledge on basic natural history impedes conservation action.
Bibliography. Allen (1914c, 1915b), Emmons (1990), Reid (1997), Thorington & Santana (2007), Thorington et al. (2012), de Vivo & Carmignotto (2015).
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.
