Tamiops swinhoer (Milne-Edwards, 1874)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818662 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFC0-ED3D-FFF0-FE5BFD8DFFD5 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Tamiops swinhoer |
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Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel
French: Ecureuil de Swinhoe / German: Swinhoe-Zwergstreifenhérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla rayada de Swinhoe
Taxonomy. Sciurus macclellandii var. swinhoei Milne-Edwards, 1874 ,
“Moupin [Mup- ing],”
Baoxing, Sichuan, China. Restricted
by G. M. Allen in 1940 to “Hongchantin... about 6000 feet [1829 m].”
Four subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
T.s.swinhoeiMilne-Edwards,1874—SChina(SofQinlingRange).
T.s.olivaceusOsgood,1932—NVietnamandNLaos.
T:s.spenceiThomas,1921—N&NEMyanmar.
T. s. vestitus Miller, 1915 — China (N of Qinling Range). Populations in NE India are of uncertain subspecific affiliation.
Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 131 mm (males and females), tail mean 100 mm (males) and 101 mm (females); weight mean 87-9 g. Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel has variable pelage, but can be distinguished from other species of Tamiops by its larger size and longer and denser fur. It can be distinguished from the Himalayan Striped Squirrel (7. meclellandii) in that the most lateral pale stripe is broader, less brilliant, and usually stops at the shoulder rather than being continuous with the cheek stripe. Nominate subspecies swinhoei has yellow-brown dorsum with a broader mid-dorsal stripe (9-10 mm) and a dull yellow lateral pale stripe that stops at shoulders without connecting to the facial stripe. Venteris buffy white. Subspecies olivaceus has a darker dorsal background color. Subspecies spencei has darker lateral pale stripes. Subspecies vestitus is very similar to swinhoei, but paler and with much paler lateral stripes than the other subspecies.
Habitat. Broadleaved coniferous forests, and scrub jungles of bushes and rhododendrons, just below snowline. Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel occurs above the elevational range of the Himalayan Striped Squirrel in the south-western portion of its distribution, in areas between elevations of ¢.2134-3048 m.
Food and Feeding. Diet of Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel consists of fruits, young shoots, other vegetable matter, and insects.
Breeding. Female Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrels have three pairs of teats, one pectoral and two inguinal. Average litter size is 3-2 young.
Activity patterns. Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel is arboreal and builds nests in tree holes. Its vocalization is described as a high-pitched birdlike sound.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel is widespread, very abundant in suitable habitat, and has no major threats.
Bibliography. Allen (1940), Duckworth & Lunde (2008a), Hayssen et al. (1993), Miller (1915), Osgood (1932), Thomas (1921e), Thorington et al. (2012).
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.
