Petaurista leucogenys (Temminck, 1827)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818894 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FF89-ED74-FF69-FCF0F5F8F6E3 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Petaurista leucogenys |
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Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel
Petaurista leucogenys View in CoL
French: Pétauriste a joues blanches / German: Japan-Riesengleithérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla voladora gigante de Japén
Taxonomy. Pteromys leucogenys Temminck, 1827 ,
“Kyushu, Japan.”
Three subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
P.l.leucogenysTemminck,1827—SJapan,inShikokuandKyushuIs.
P.l.nikkonisThomas,1905—CJapan,inN&CHonshu.
P. l. oreas Thomas, 1905 — C Japan, in S Honshu (Wakayama Prefecture, S peninsula and Chugoku District).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 270-485 mm, tail 280-414 mm; weight 0-49.1-2 kg. Color on upperparts of nominotypical leucogenys is intermediate brown, sometimes tinged rufous brown. Underparts are whiter, tinged with pale vinaceous in center and becoming more rufous on marginal membrane. Patch below eye is grayish brown, succeeded behind by fairly prominent light cheek patch and by dull fulvous patch below and behind ear. Fur of nikkonis is particularly long, and tail is bushy. General coloris paler than leucogenys, more grayish brown, or drab. Underparts are white. Muzzle is whitish. It is grayish brown below eyes. Cheek patches are prominently white. Upper parts of oreas are rich brown, suffused with rufous on head. Underparts are washed with buffy. Patch below eyes and forehead are dark rufous. Cheek patch is light dull grayish, washed with buffy. Tail is dull cinnamon.
Habitat. Mature stands of primary or secondary broad-leaved or mixed forests.
Food and Feeding. The Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel shifts from folivory to granivory seasonally, feeding on parts of at least 45 species oftrees, but it is reported to be highly selective when foraging. Overall, diet consists primarily of leaves (26%-40%), seeds (34%), and staminate cones of various conifers (12%). Pine needles (Pinus, Pinaceae) and cedar foliage (Cryptomeria japonica, Cupressaceae) are included in small percent ages. Although animal material is occasionally consumed,it is an obligate folivore, especially at certain times of the year. It is also exclusively arboreal and never hoards food. A nine-year study on diets of Japanese Giant Flying Squirrels revealed strong seasonal patterns of food use. Flowers and leaves constituted the majority of the diet in winter, spring, and early summer, seeds made up most of the diet in late summer, autumn, and early winter. Mature leaves are consumed most often in February and again in July when females are pregnant and availabilities of other foods are lowest. During lactation, however, leaf consumption ceases. Herbivorous diet is aided by ability to remain in a sitting position on small branches while extending forepaws to reach branches with buds and leaves. Compared with smaller squirrels, the Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel spends more time foraging among smaller branches, and it also spends more time feeding while perched on vertical surfaces and smaller supports relative to its body size. Feeding bouts are relatively long, perhaps because diets often contain high percentages of plant material, but they occur rather infrequently throughout the day. It is reported to have a large cecum.
Breeding. Reports suggest that Japanese Giant Flying Squirrels mate from mid-November to mid-January in winter and from mid-May to mid-June in summer. Gestation is ¢.74 days; litters are 1-2 young. Young are weaned by ¢.90 days of age and begin feeding independently at c.80 days. They are able to glide a few days after their first emergence from nests.
Activity patterns. Japanese Giant Flying Squirrels are nocturnal and arboreal. Under natural conditions, they spend the day at rest in hollow trees and branches and usually become active ¢.30 minutes after sunset. At night, they glide from one tree to another.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Individuals can have considerable home range overlap although females never overlap with other females. For nesting, they often converge on mature forest patches where nest cavities are available. One study reported that home range use is not homogenous but instead is concentrated in patches of secondary forests where food is abundant. Males have larger home ranges than females. When home ranges overlap, individuals may successively use the same nests. Studies on glide performance reported average glide ratios (horizontal distance/vertical height) of 1-9, with upper limits of 3-5. Air speeds were 4:4-9-5 m/ sec, with 3-3-7 m/sec recorded in two studies. Horizontal glide distancesin four study areas were 10-100 m and averaged 17-1-33-1 m.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Current population trend of the Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel is unknown. No specific threats are known. More surveys and basic research on its distribution, population status, and natural history are needed to better understand threats and useful conservation action.
Bibliography. Ando & Imaizumi (1982), Ando & Shiraishi (1993), Ando et al. (1984, 1985a, 1985b), Baba et al. (1982), Ishii & Kaneko (2008a), Jackson (2012), Jackson & Thorington (2012), Kawamichi (1997a, 1997b, 1998, 1999), Miyao (1972), Mori & Takatori (2006), Nakano et al. (2004), Okazaki (1999), Oshida (2006), Oshida & Obara (1993), Oshida & Yoshida (1999), Oshida, Hachiya et al. (2000), Oshida, Hiraga et al. (2000), Oshida, Ikeda et al. (2001), Oshida, Lin Liangkong etal. (2000), Shafique et al. (2006), Stafford et al. (2002, 2003), Thorington & Stafford (2001), Thorington, Darrow & Anderson (1998), Thorington, Koprowski et al. (2012), Wheeler (2004).
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.
