Petaurista petaurista (Pallas, 1766)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818868 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFF0-ED0E-FAF6-F7B6FBFFFA9B |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Petaurista petaurista |
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Red Giant Flying Squirrel
Petaurista petaurista View in CoL
French: Pétauriste roux / German: Rotes Riesengleithornchen / Spanish: Ardilla voladora gigante roja
Taxonomy. Sciurus petaurista Pallas, 1766 View in CoL ,
type locality not given. Restricted by H. C. Robinson and C. B. Kloss in 1918 to Preanger Regencies, Western Java, Indonesia.
Petaurista petaurista is considered a species complex and should be revised as new taxonomic data becomes available. Widely used subspecific names melanotus and nigricaudatus have been changed for gender agreement. Sixteen subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
P.p.petauristaPallas,1766—WJava.
P.p.batuanaMiller,1903—BatuIs(Tanahbala,Tanahmasa,andPiniIs),offWSumatra.
P.p.cicurRobinson&Kloss,1914—SThailandinNEMalayPeninsula.
P.p.grandisSwinhoe,1863—Taiwan.
P.p.interceptioSody,1949—MtTjerimaiinWJava.
P.p.lumholtz:Gyldenstolpe,1920—C&EBorneo.
P.p.marchioThomas,1908—NSumatraandRupatI(Indonesia).
P.p.melanotaGray,1837—SMalayPeninsula(includingTiomanI).
P.p.nigrescensMedway,1965—NBorneo,knownonlyfromtheforestsaroundSandakanBay,NofKinabatanganRiver.
P.p.nigricaudataRobinson&Kloss,1918—EJava.
P.p.nitidulaThomas,1900—BunguranIinNNatunaIs,offWBorneo.
P.p.penangensisRobinson&Kloss,1918—PenangI(NWPeninsularMalaysia).
P.p.rajahThomas,1908—N&NWBorneo.
P. p. rufipes Sody, 1949 — S Sumatra and Sipora I (off W Sumatra).
P.p.stellarisChasen,1940—BintanI,RiauArchipelago(offESumatra).
P. p. terutaus Lyon, 1907 — Ko Tarutao I, off the W coast of S Thailand. Subspecific affinities of populations in Myanmar, W Thailand, and S & E Chinese provinces are not clear but may be melanota. Additional research is needed to understand distributions of subspecies on the mainland.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 285-520 mm, tail 342-630 mm; weight 0-99.2-9 kg. Dorsal color of nominate petaurista appears reddish brown, but hairs are gray at bases. Face and lower jaw are darker brown. Venter is light brown. Although similar in size to the Red-and-white Giant Flying Squirrel (P. alborufus), the Red Giant Flying Squirrel is consistently smaller in body mass (85%) and other body measurements, including tail length. Females tend to be larger than males. The Red Giant Flying Squirrel seems to be closely related to the Indian Giant Flying Squirrel (P. philippensis). Underparts are ocherous buff, deepening to rufous on patagium. Subspecies batuana is similar to nitidula, but it is slightly larger. Its total length is 825 mm, and head-body length is 405 mm. Subspecies cicur is similar to other forms found on the Malay Peninsula, but black areas of pelage are more extensive, and hairs on back have distinct black tips. Subspecies grandis is dark brown above and dull orange below, with gray-brown tail darkening toward tip. Subspecies interceptio is similar to petaurista, but its back is more rufous and less buff. Upper surface of tail is pure rufous at base, with distal end being black. Subspecies lumholizi is deep ferruginous bay, although this is much lighter on posterior one-half of body. Beside and below eyes are distinctively black. Above eyes is pinkish cinnamon that continues backward, with deepening color to ears. Black tuft behind ears is small and ill defined. Underparts are bright rufous cinnamon. Subspecies marchio is similar to nitidula, but it has slightly larger ears, and reddish brown upper parts are paler. Dorsal color is relatively dark, deep rufous chestnut. Dorsal hairs have black tips. Subspecies melanota is similar to cicur, but on subspecies melanota, black-tipped dorsal hairs are reduced in number and confined to mid-dorsal line down shoulders and back. Upper parts are rufous or burnt sienna. Subspecies nigrescens can be distinguished from rajah and lumholtzi by its much darker and dull color. Nose tip, chin, eye ring, post-auricular patch, extremities, and tip of tail are black; rest of upper parts is dark cinnamon-brown. Underparts of tail dull cinnamon-brown. Subspecies nigricaudata has black tail, with subbasal parts of tail hairs being ferruginous maroon. Ears are dark chestnut, and black orbital eye ring is extensive. Forefeet and hindfeet are black, with black continuing along margins of uropatagium. Subspecies nitidula is similar to but smaller than petaurista. Subspecies penangensis is similar to but smaller than melanota. Subspecies rajah is intermediate in color between melanota and marchio, with black tips on dorsal hairs. It has dark orbital rings. Ears are relatively short, with their backs heavily tufted with black hairs forming conspicuous black patch on each side. Dorsal surface and tail of rufipes are tawny or ferruginous glossy color, and there is slight darkening on nape and mid-dorsal area, caused by slight blackening of hair tips. It has narrow black eye ring and small dull brown spot on chin. Entire venter is pinkish rufous or ocherous salmon, deepening to tawny at borders of patagium. Subspecies stellaris is similar to batuana, but it is less blackened on upper parts and paler on cheeks and muzzle. Tail and underparts are paler, less rufous, and more cinnamon. Subspecies ferutaus is similar to nitidula, but top of head of terutaus has grayish wash; there is slight buffy wash on sides of body and more extensive black part on distal end of tail.
Habitat. Wet tropical lowlands (southern India), montane temperate forests (Pakistan), and hardwood forests (Taiwan) and reported to prefer evergreen broadleaf and coniferous forests. The Red Giant Flying Squirrel also occurs in gardens, plantations, orchards, and relatively open areas with few trees. It appears fairly resilient to forest fragmentation and tends to have higher densities in smaller fragments than in larger stands.
Food and Feeding. The Red Giant Flying Squirrel is highly folivorous, butit is also known to eat seeds, fruits (e.g. figs of Ficus, Moraceae), flowers, buds, bark, and lichens. In northern Pakistan, it reportedly feeds on leaves of 27 tree species. Bark stripping is reported in Taiwan.
Breeding. In Taiwan, two reproductive peaks occur in spring and late autumn. Red Giant Flying Squirrels are often observed in pairs. Males enter reproductive condition earlier than females. Leaf nests are occasionally used, but it usually nests in tree cavities and rock crevices. About 50% of females reproduce during each season, and it is not known if a female can have more than one litter in a year. In Taiwan, litters are 1-2 young (usuallyjust one). Young are weaned at 90-120 days old.
Activity patterns. Red Giant Flying Squirrels are nocturnal and emit a species-specific call, often at dusk.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Densities of the Red Giant Flying Squirrels are 0-06 ind/ha in coniferous plantations and 2-3 ind/ha in hardwood forests.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Current population trend of the Red Giant Flying Squirrel is decreasing. It is hunted for food and medicinal purposes in various places. In north-eastern India, it is cooked and eaten as an antidote for poison, and bile is boiled as a remedy for asthma.It is considered a pest in some fruit plantations. It is threatened by habitat conversion due to logging, agriculture, dam construction, and urbanization.
Bibliography. Jackson (2012), Jackson & Thorington (2012), Kakati et al. (2006), Koli (2016), Lambert (1990), Lee Peifen (1998), Lee Peifen, Lin Yaosung & Progulske (1993), Lee Peifen, Progulske & Lin Yaosung (1986, 1993), Oshida, Lin Liangkong et al. (2000), Oshida, Satoh & Obara (1991), Oshida, Shafique et al. (2004), Robinson & Kloss (1918a), Shafique et al. (2006), Smith & Yan Xie (2008), Thorington & Heaney (1981), Thorington et al. (2012), Umapathy & Kumar (2000), Walston, Duckworth, Sarker & Molur (2008).
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.
