Syntheosciurus brochus, Bangs, 1902
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818816 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFFC-ED01-FAF6-FC24F8E9FE20 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Syntheosciurus brochus |
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Bangs’s Mountain Squirrel
Syntheosciurus brochus View in CoL
French: Ecureuil du Panama / German: Mittelamerika-Berghérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla de montana de Bangs
Other common names: Mountain Squirrel, Neotropical Montane Squirrel
Taxonomy. Syntheosciurus brochus Bangs, 1902 View in CoL ,
“Boquete, 7,000 ft. [2,134 m],”
Chiriqui, Panama.
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Costa Rica and N Panama.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 150-185 mm, tail 120-152 mm; weight mean 143-3 g (males) and 170 g (females). Bangs’s Mountain Squirrel has grizzled brown olivaceous dorsum and tail. Ventral side oftail is charcoal to black, and tailtip is black. Venter is grayish to pale orange.
Habitat. Montane cloud forests, evergreen forests, and secondary forests that may be fragmented at elevations of 1900-2300 m.
Food and Feeding. Bangs’s Mountain Squirrel is herbivorous and usesall forest levels to find flowers, fruits, sap, and bark to eat.
Breeding. Bangs’s Mountain Squirrel gives birth in cavities. Mating occurs in spring when 6-8 males chase a female, after which litters of 2-5 young are born.
Activity patterns. Bangs’s Mountain Squirrels are diurnal. They can be seen on the ground but are secretive and remain in heavy cover.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Bang’s Mountain Squirrel is social. Males and females travel together, rest during the day next to each other, and sleep in den cavities together, suggesting a level of pair bonding that is extremely uncommon among tree squirrels. Individuals appear to remain in family groupsfor extended periods.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of Bang’s Mountain Squirrel is unknown. Lack of knowledge on ecology and natural history impedes effective conservation and management. Habitat loss is a major conservation threat.
Bibliography. Emmons (1990), Enders (1953, 1980), Giacalone et al. (1987), Hayssen (2008a), Reid (1997), Thorington et al. (2012), Wells & Giacalone (1985).
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.
