Petaurista xanthotis (Milne-Edwards, 1872)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818870 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFF3-ED0E-FA67-FEFCF8F4F099 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Petaurista xanthotis |
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Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel
Petaurista xanthotis View in CoL
French: Pétauriste de Chine / German: China-Riesengleithornchen / Spanish: Ardilla voladora gigante de China
Taxonomy. Pteromys xanthotis Milne-Edwards, 1874 ,
“Moupin, Baoxing, Sichuan,
China.”
Petaurista xanthotis was previously thought
to be a subspecies of the P. leucogenys com-
plex, butin 1992, it was reclassified as a distinct species, based primarily on its more complex cheekteeth and absence of white streak below ears. Molecular phylogenetic analyses (mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene sequences) confirm that P. xanthotis is not included with other Petaurista and that it is a distinct species from P. leucogenys. Similarly, more recent studies also confirm that P. xanthotisis a distinct species, but they also suggest a close, but unresolved, relationship with P. petaurista. Monotypic.
Distribution. C & S China, in Qinghai, E Tibet (= Xizang), Gansu, Sichuan, and NW Yunnan provinces.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 325-445 mm,tail 294-380 mm; weight 0-73-12 kg. Pelage of the Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel is soft and grayish yellow. Dorsal color is dark, sometimes grizzled with gray. Guard hairs are black at bases and whitish at distal ends. Throat and sides of muzzle are white; venteris gray. Patagium is marked with orange margins. Long tail has black and orange hairs. Feet are black, and legs are orange. There can be pale ocherous spots at inner bases of ears and orange spots behind ears.
Habitat. Coniferous montane and subalpine forests, such as those on the Tibetan Plateau and central provinces of China, typically at elevations of 2000-3400 m.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel includes shoots, leaves, and pine nuts.
Breeding. Pregnant females have been captured in April, and births occur in summer. Litter size is usually two young.
Activity patterns. Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel are nocturnal and do not hibernate.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Chinese Giant Flying Squirrels nest in tree cavities.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel is on the regional Red List in China. Current population trend is unknown. More surveys and basic research on its distribution, population status, and natural history are needed to better understand threats and useful conservation action. The Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel is trapped for fur trade.
Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Jackson (2012), Jackson & Thorington (2012), McKenna (1962), Oshida (2006), Oshida et al. (2004), Smith & Johnston (2008r), Smith & Yan Xie (2008), Thorington et al. (2012), Wang Jinting (2000), Yu Farong et al. (2006).
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.
