Aeromys thomasi (Hose, 1900)

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 648-837 : 778

157.

Thomas's Flying Squirrel

Aeromys thomasi

French: Polatouche de Thomas / German: Thomas-Gleithornchen / Spanish: Ardilla voladora de Thomas

Taxonomy. Petaurista thomasi Hose, 1900 ,

“Baram, Sarawak, Malaysia.”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Borneo, except the S part.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 300-363-3 mm, tail 370-410 mm; weight 1.1-1.4 kg. Thomas’s Flying Squirrel is uniformly dark brown or black, similar in color to the nominate subspecies of the Black Flying Squirrel (A. tephromelas tephromelas) but slightly larger. Tail is thin with flattened hairs.

Habitat. Lowland to mid-elevation (up to 1600 m) montane tall and secondary forests.

Food and Feeding. Thomas's Flying Squirrel is a frugivore and feeds mainly on fruits.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. Thomas's Flying Squirrels are nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Current population trend of Thomas’s Flying Squirrel is unknown. Little information is known aboutits ecology or abundance. It might be present in several protected areas. It might be under threat due to habitat destruction in the lower elevations. Additional studies are needed to understand distribution and abundance in the south-eastern and central Bornean mountain ranges.

Bibliography. Harris (1944), Jackson (2012), Jackson & Thorington (2012), Meijaard et al. (2006), Ruedas et al. (2008a), Thorington et al. (2012).

Figures

148. Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurisia elegans), 149. Yunnan Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista yunanensis), 150. Taiwan Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista lena), 151. Hainan Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista hainana), 152. Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista leucogenys), 153. Siberian Flying Squirrel (Pteromys volans), 154. Japanese Flying Squirrel (Pteromys momonga), 155. Woolly Flying Squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus), 156. Black Flying Squirrel (Aeromys tephromelas), 157. Thomas's Flying Squirrel (Aeromys thomasi), 158. Smoky Flying Squirrel (Pteromyscus pulverulentus), 159. Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel (Belomys pearsonii), 160. Northern Chinese Flying Squirrel (Aeretes melanoplerus), 161. Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel (Trogopterus xanthipes), 162. Long-clawed Ground Squirrel (Spermophilopsis leptodactyla), 163. Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus), 164. Striped Ground Squirrel (Euxerus erythropus), 165. Unstriped Ground Squirrel (Xerus rutilus), 166. Damara Ground Squirrel (Geosciurus princeps), 167. South African Ground Squirrel (Geosciurus inauris), 168. Pere David’s Rock Squirrel (Sciurotamias davidianus), 169. Forrest's Rock Squirrel (Sciurotamias forresti), 170. Siberian Chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus), 171. Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus), 172. Yellow-pine Chipmunk (Tamas amoenus), 173. Townsend’s Chipmunk (Tamias townsendii), 174. Red-tailed Chipmunk (Tamias ruficaudus), 175. Shadow Chipmunk (Tamias senex), 176. Uinta Chipmunk (Tamias umbrinus)