Paraxerus cepapi (A. Smith, 1836)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6819103 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFB2-EDB0-FA67-F530F649F653 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Paraxerus cepapi |
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Smith’s Bush Squirrel
French: Ecureuil de Smith / German: Smith-Buschhérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla de matorral de Smith
Taxonomy. Sciurus cepapi A. Smith, 1836 ,
“Marico River, Rustenberg District, NW
Province, South Africa.”
Ten subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
P.c.cepapiA.Smith,1836—SBotswana,Zimbabwe,andNESouthAfrica(TransvaalProvince).
P.c.bororensisRoberts,1946—Mozambique,near“Namabieda,”Boror,NoftheZambeziRiver.
P.c.carpiLundholm,1955—confluenceoftheMessenguéziandZambezirivers(Mozambique).
P.c.cepapoidesRoberts,1946—Mozambique(Zimbiti,Beira).
P. c. chobiensis Roberts, 1932 — S Angola, N Namibia, and N Botswana.
P.c.phalaenaThomas,1926—Namibia(C&NWOvamboland).
P.c.quotusWroughton,1909—SDRCongo(SEKatanga).
P.c.sindiThomas&Wroughton,1908—SMalawiandZambeziRiverinTeteProvince(Mozambique).
P.c.soccatusWroughton,1909—NoftheZambeziRiver,nearVwazaattheHeweRiverinMalawi.
P. c. yulei Thomas, 1902 — NE Zambia, W Tanzania, and N Malawi. Subspeciesaffiliation of remaining regionsis unclear. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 228 mm (males) and 226 mm (females), tail 180 mm (males) and 183 mm (females); weight mean 186 g (males) and 180-2 g (females). Dorsal color of Smith’s Bush Squirrel is brown, yellow-brown, or gray; ventral pelage is gray-white, with a yellow or buff on chest. Limbs are short and match dorsum. Pelage color varies geographically. Cheeks are light yellow-brown. Faint white stripes are visible above and below eyes. Long bushy tail is grizzled black and yellowish brown. Subspecies bororensis is darker and warmer brown than cepapoides, with grayer color on sides of body and lower part of hindlimbs. Subspecies carpi is much smaller and paler than cepapi and displays white or white-yellow feet and orange-yellow on thighs and underside of tail. Subspecies cepapoides is rustier than cepapi, with tawny highlights on dorsal and thigh pelage. Ventral pelage and toes of chobiensis are whiter than on cepapu. Subspecies phalaena is distinguished by gray pelage on back, crown of head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Feet are paler buffy white than those of cepapi. Subspecies quotus is a darker form. Midline of underside of tail of sindi is ocherous, and ventral pelage is white. Subspecies soccatus has grayish white feet but lacks yellow highlights visible in cepapi, particularly on limbs and flanks. Subspecies yulei is larger and has grayer shoulders, with light tan gray sides. Ventral coloris white, with gray highlights on belly, and dorsal pelage is paler, grizzled with tan. Feet are gray-white to white-yellow.
Habitat. Savanna woodlands, especially in mopane (Colophospermum mopane, Fabaceae), and acacia woodlands or mixed associations such as Acacia (Fabaceae) / Terminalia (Combretaceae) and Acacia/ Combretum (Combretaceae). Smith’s Bush Squirrel is less common in combined Brachystegia/Julbernardia (both Fabaceae) woodlands and Bazkiaea (Fabaceae) woodlands, possibly due to lack of ideal tree cavities for nesting.
Food and Feeding. Smith’s Bush Squirrelis primarily herbivorous but also consumes some arthropods. In South Africa, individuals forage on more than 30 species of plants, eating seeds, berries, flowers, stems, and leaves. They also feed on termites. In East Africa, diet consists of bulbs, nuts, seeds, insects, bird eggs, aloe and euphorbia leaves, and fruits of Sclerocarya (Anacardiaceae), Pterocarpus (Fabaceae), and Kigelia (Bignoniaceae).
Breeding. Female Smith’s Bush Squirrels initiate mating sequence in the morning hours by emitting rattle-like calls. Males respond with their own mating calls and chase females, during which time both sexes make clicking noises and flick their tails. The male allogrooms the female while mating, and both autogroom post-copulation. Gestation is 56 days. One litter per year is common in the wild, but up to three annual litters are reported in captivity, with interbirth intervals of 60-63 days. Period of reproduction varies regionally. Females in Botswana tend to give birth during warm wet months rather than cold dry months and do not reproduce in May-September. In South Africa, they reproduce in October-January. Young are born precocious, with eyes open by day eight. Young emerge from the nest by day 19, consume solid foods by day 21, and are weaned between days 29 and 42. Subadults reach sexual maturity within 6-10 months and are evicted from the group after that. Males and females provide parental care. Males can commit infanticide to mate again more quickly.
Activity patterns. Smith’s Bush Squirrel is diurnal and arboreal. It thermoregulates by moving between sun and shade at different times of day. It is mainly arboreal but also descends to the ground occasionally to feed on fallen fruits.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Smith’s Bush Squirrels are social and live in groups composed of 1-2 adults and several juveniles. Groups nest in trees, rocky crevices, house roofs, or holes underground lined with grass and leaves. Individuals clean out and reline their nests often, which may act to reduce numbers of parasites. Social hierarchy is important within groups, particularly during feeding and interactions with conspecifics. Scent marking is important to social organization. They are highly territorial; scent marking over areas 0-3-1-3 ha in size by mouth wiping, urinating, and anal dragging. Territories are defended with vocalization, chases, and fights, except during mating season when foreign individuals are permitted to enter. Fights may occasionally result in death of the loser. Most vocalizations consist ofclick, rattle, or whistle of decreasing intensity and descending pitch and combinations thereof. When disturbed in their nests, they emit grunts and growls. Courting individuals and females communicate with “clicks,” and males give a low-pitched nasal murmur during mating. They have low-intensity alarm call ofseries of three “chir” or click sounds spaced over several seconds, which indicates alertness, warning, or aggression forterritorial defense. Their high-intensity alarm call consists of 6-7 high-pitched notes emitted at one-second intervals, and it resembles a call of a bird or whistle.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Smith’s Bush Squirrels is widespread, presumably has large populations, and occurs in protected areas. Population trends are stable, and it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.
Bibliography. Ansell & Dowsett (1988), De Graaff (1981), Hayssen (2008a), Kingdon (1974), Smithers (1971, 1983), Thorington et al. (2012), Viljoen (1975, 1977a, 1977b, 1977c, 1983a, 1989, 1997b), de Villiers (1986).
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.
