Paraxerus palliatus (Peters, 1852)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6819099 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFB3-ED4F-FAFF-F502FB99FE74 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Paraxerus palliatus |
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Red Bush Squirrel
Paraxerus palliatus View in CoL
French: Ecureuil mantelé / German: Rotschwanzbuschhornchen / Spanish: Ardilla de matorral roja
Taxonomy. Sciurus palliatus Peters, 1852 ,
“Africa orientalis, Quitangonha, 15°.”
Seven subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
P.p.palliatusPeters,1852—coastofETanzaniaandNMozambique.
P.p.bridgemaniDollman,1914—Mozambiquecoast,SoftheSaveRiver.
P.p.frereiGray,1873—MafiaandZanzibarIs,Tanzania.
P.p.ornatusGray,1864—NESouthAfrica(NgoyeForestoftheEshoweDistrict,KwaZulu-Natal).
P. p. sponsus Thomas & Wroughton, 1907 — Mozambique coast, S of the Save River, same range and perhaps indistinguishable from bridgemani.
P.p.swynnertoniWroughton,1908—ChirindaForest(SEZimbabwe).
P. p. tanae Neumann, 1902 — S Somalia through E Kenya S to N Tanzania (Pangani River). Records for this species from Malawi are not identified to the subspecies level. The distribution in the interior of Tanzania and Mozambique, which occurs mainly along riverine forests, is also not determined to the subspecies level.
Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 212-2 mm (males) and 206-9 mm (females), tail mean 206-8 mm (males) and 201-4 mm; weight mean 312 g (males) and 307-4 g (females). The Red Bush Squirrel varies geographically in color and size. Dorsum and cheeks are brown grizzled with buff. Under parts, limbs, and feet are bright red or yellow. Proximal base of long bushy tail is grizzled brown, and remaining distal twothirds is rufous. Climate and habitat appear to be associated with differences in body size and color, with larger darker individuals living in humid forests and smaller paler squirrels living in dry forests. Nominate palliatus has rufous feet. Subspecies bridgemani has brown, grizzled dorsal pelage and orange ventral pelage that is typically paler and more yellowish than other subspecies. Subspecies frerei has black feet. Subspecies ornatus is large and has brownish black dorsal pelage, grizzled with buff. Its ventral pelage is rufous orange. Tail is dark brownish black, tinged with rufous throughout. Subspecies sponsus resembles palliatus in appearance, but it is spatially separated. Subspecies swynnertoni has cinnamon rufous belly and cheeks and grizzled black and buff dorsal pelage and face; it resembles palliatus and ornatus in color but is smaller. Subspecies tanae has completely rufous orange tail.
Habitat. Dry and moist evergreen forests, woodlands, dune forests, riverine forests, and thickets. The Red Bush Squirrel is associated with riparian areas, but it is also found on islands and in mountainous regions at elevations as high as 2000 m.
Food and Feeding. Red Bush Squirrels eat seeds, fleshy fruits, nuts, and invertebrates. They scratch underneath tree bark to find insects, and stalk prey and display other hunting behaviors in captivity. They scatterhoard large seeds.
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Breeding. Male Red Bush Squirrels vocalize while chasing females, possibly serving to stimulate estrus. Females produce 1-2 litters of 1-2 young/year. In southern Africa gestation lasts 60-65 days, and young are born during the wet season in August-March. A female separates from other individuals before giving birth and builds a natal nest, lined with leaves, in a tree hole. While young are small, females prevents other adults from entering and aggressively respond to other individuals, including males. When young are old enough, females permit males to join the family group. After reaching subadulthood, young are forced to leave nests.
Activity patterns. The Red Bush Squirrel is diurnal and arboreal, but individuals also spend significant amounts of time on the ground.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Red Bush Squirrels most commonly live alone or in pairs, but they also nest in groups of up to four individuals. Nests are built in the holes of baobabs (Adansonia, Malvaceae) and Kigelia (Bignoniaceae) trees. Home ranges vary in size by habitat. In evergreen moist forests, nominate palliatus maintains a mean home range of 3-2 ha for males and 2-2 ha for females; in coastal forests and thickets, mean home range size is 4-2 ha for males and 0-73 ha for females. Red Bush Squirrels communicate with vocalizations, visual cues, and olfactory signals. They commonly flick their tails and fluff their fur, particularly when in thick vegetation. Individuals emit a number of sounds, including murmurs, hisses, growls, clicks, twitters, and barks. Red Bush Squirrels also engage in urine dribbling and anal dragging to scent-mark areas.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Red Bush Squirrel is widespread and tolerates various habitats. No information is available on population trends. It might be threatened by local habitat loss.
Bibliography. Amtmann (1975), Kingdon (1974), Smithers (1983), Thorington, Koprowski et al. (2012), Thorington, Pappas & Schennum (2013c), Viljoen (1980, 1983a, 1983b, 1986, 1989).
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.
