Anomalurus beecrofty, 1843

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Anomaluridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 270-279 : 277

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Beecroft’s Anomalure

Anomalurus beecrofty

French: Anomalure de Beecroft / German: Beecroft-Dornschwanzérnchen / Spanish: Anomaluro de Beecroft

Other common names: Beecroft's Flying Squirrel, Beecroft's Scaly-tailed Flying Squirrel, Beecroft's Scaly-tailed Squirrel

Taxonomy. Anomalurus beecrofti Fraser, 1853 ,

“Fernando Po” (Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, West Africa).

Some authors have placed A. beecroftiin the genus Anomalurops , named by P. Matschie in 1914, by itself due to various skull characteristics. Three subspecies have been recognized including beecrofti from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, named by L. Fraser in 1853; argenteus from Senegal to Cameroon, named by H. Schwann in 1904; and fulgens from Gabon, named by J. E. Gray in 1869. These subspecies typically are not recognized in recent publications. Monotypic.

Distribution. Widely distributed in W & C Africa, from Senegal to Gabon, E DR Congo and Bioko I, also isolated records in NW Angola, NW Zambia, and W Uganda.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 250-310 mm, tail 160-260 mm; weight 640-660 g. Beecroft’s Anomalureis large and similar in appearance to the smaller Lesser Anomalure (A. pusillus ), which has relatively uniform dorsal fur and black-tipped tail. Lord Derby’s Anomalure (A. derbianus ) is also similar to Beecroft’s Anomalure, but it has black or brown eye mask, muzzle, and area surrounding ears. Dorsal pelage of Beecroft’s Anomalure is thick, fleecy, and lightly waved; fur at base of tail is smooth-haired, with a slight terminal tuft. Ventral region and underside of gliding membrane are well furred. Color varies considerably but most commonly is silver-gray on back, with a central stripe of golden brown from neck over larger part of back. Ventral side is basically grayish or yellowish; throat and chest are orange. Color variation can be defined by extent of golden brown stripe on back and amount of orange on ventral side. Beecroft’s Anomalure often has a white spot on its forehead but does not have a dark mask around eyes. Tail is narrower than in other species of anomalures and has up to nine pairs of scales on its underside at its base.

Habitat. Tropical moist forest and dry forests, preferring swamp forests and areas with abundant palms. Beecroft’s Anomalures are also commonly found in disturbed forest such as cultivated groves of African oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis, Arecaceae ). They occur from sea level to elevations of 2500 m.

Food and Feeding. Beecroft’s Anomalures eat leaves, bark, and fruit from a variety of trees and occasionally insects. They feed on pulp offruit of the African oil palm, which they manage to access despite the protection of short spines.

Breeding. Young Beecroft’s Anomalures are born singly and are carried by their mothers when they are small. There appears to be a prolonged breeding season at the end of the wet season. One pregnant female was captured in July in Cameroon; two females, each with one young, were obtained in early October and late January.

Activity patterns. Beecroft’s Anomalures are nocturnal, and during the day, they rest in tree holes located in upper strata or hide among leaves and twigs that form dense congregations. They may also rest in junctions between palm fronds, or cling to sheltered undersides of major tree branches close to the trunk, where their mottled coat helps to camouflage them away from predators. A jaw fragment of Beecroft’s Anomalures was found in a Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) fecal sample in the Tenkere area in Sierra Leone. Other likely predators include crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus), long-tailed hawks (Urotriorchis macrourus), and pythons ( Pythonidae ).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Beecroft’s Anomalures are typically found alone, which suggest they are solitary. The only record of a vocalization is something between a hoot and a whistle.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Although Beecroft’s Anomalures are difficult to observe, they appear be relatively common in suitable habitats but may be declining locally in some areas.

Bibliography. Allen, G.M. & Coolidge (1930), Allen, J.A. (1922), Alp & Kitchener (1993), Bates (1905), Dekeyser & Villiers (1951), Delany (1975), Dorst & Dandelot (1970), Fraser (1853), Gray (1869), Haltenorth & Diller (1977), Happold (1987), Jackson (2012), Jackson &Thorington (2012), Kingdon (1997, 2013b), Matschie (1914), Rosevear (1969), Sanderson (1940), Schunke (2005), Schwann (1904).

Figures

1. Beecroft’s Anomalure (Anomalurus beecrofty), 2. Lord Derby’s Anomalure (Anomalurus derbianus), 3. Pel’s Anomalure (Anomalurus pelii), 4. Lesser Anomalure (Anomalurus pusillus), 5. Long-eared Pygmy Anomalure (Idiurus macrotis), 6. Zenker’s Pygmy Anomalure (Idiurus zenker), 7. Cameroon Anomalure (Zenkerella insignis)

Distribution. Widely distributed in W & C Africa, from Senegal to Gabon, E DR Congo and Bioko I, also isolated records in NW Angola, NW Zambia, and W Uganda.