Nilgiri striped squirrel

Nilgiri striped squirrel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Funambulus
Subgenus: Funambulus
Species: F. sublineatus
Binomial name
Funambulus sublineatus
(Waterhouse, 1838)
Synonyms

Funambulus kathleenae Thomas & Wroughton, 1915
Sciurus delesserti Gervais, 1841
Sciurus palmarum Pelzen & Kohl, 1886 variety obscura
Sciurus sublineatus Waterhouse, 1838
Sciurus trilineatus Kelaart, 1852
Tamoides sublineatus Phillips, 1935

The Nilgiri striped squirrel (Funambulus sublineatus) is an Indian squirrel (formerly subspecies F. s. sublineatus) once referred to as the Dusky-striped squirrel when it was regarded as a subspecies of a similar Sri Lankan species (Funambulus obscurus). It is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae.

Taxonomy

The species known in the past has recently been split into two species. The Indian form (formerly subspecies F. s. sublineatus) has now been referred to as the Nilgiri striped squirrel based on the oldest available common name from 1880[2], whereas the Sri Lankan form (formerly F. s. obscurus) is now allocated Dusky striped squirrel first used in 1884.[3]

Distribution

The former range of the species, before the taxonomic split[4] was in both India and Sri Lanka, though the Nilgiri palm squirrel (F. sublineatus) is now restricted in distribution to the Western Ghats of India. Very little is known of this squirrel, probably the smallest in the genus weighing about 40g. Its new status as an endemic mammal to India means records need updating.

The species is confined to wet humid forests either in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri hills (and surrounding areas such as around Kodaikanal in India)

References

  1. ↑ Rajamani, N.; Molur, S. & Nameer, P. O. (2008). "Funambulus sublineatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2008: e.T8703A12926423. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T8703A12926423.en. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  2. ↑ Grigg, H.B. (1880). A Manual of the Nilagiri District in the Madras Presidency. Madras: Government Press.
  3. ↑ Rajith Dissanayake. 2012. The Nilgiri striped squirrel (Funambulus sublineatus), and the dusky striped squirrel (Funambulus obscurus), two additions to the endemic mammal fauna of India and Sri Lanka. Small Mammal Mail. Vol 3(2):6-7
  4. ↑ Dissanayake, Rajith; Oshida, Tatsuo (2012). "The systematics of the dusky striped squirrel, Funambulus sublineatus (Waterhouse, 1838) (Rodentia: Sciuridae) and its relationships to Layard's squirrel, Funambulus layardi Blyth, 1849". Journal of Natural History. 46 (1–2): 91–116. doi:10.1080/00222933.2011.626126.


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