Callosciurus finlaysonii (Horsfield, 1823)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818730 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFD7-ED2B-FA13-F658FB27F0A9 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Callosciurus finlaysonii |
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Finlayson’s Squirrel
Callosciurus finlaysonii View in CoL
French: Ecureuil de Finlayson / German: Finlayson-Schénhérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla de Finlayson
Taxonomy. Sciurus finlaysonii Horsfield, 1823 ,
“the Islands called Sichang, in the Gulf of Siam,”
Koh Si Chang, Gulf of Thailand. Sixteen subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
C.f.finlaysoniiHorsfield,1823—KohSichangI(offSThailand).
S C.f.Thailandalbivexilli).Kloss,1916—KohKutI(off
C.f.annellatusThomas,1929—SLaos,C&NECambodia,andlikelySWVietnam.
C.f.bocourtiMilne-Edwards,1867—CThailand.
C.f.boonsongiMoore&Tate,1965—NEThailand.
C.f.cainnamomeusTemminck,1853—SEThailandandSWCambodia.
C.f.ferrugineusF.Cuvier,1829—SCMyanmar.
C.f.follett:Kloss,1915—KohPhaiI(offSThailand).
C.f.frandseniKloss,1916—KohChangI(offSThailand).
C.f.germainiMilne-Edwards,1867—ConSonI(offSVietnam).
C.f.harmandiMilne-Edwards,1877—PhuQuocI(offSVietnam).
C.f.menamicusThomas,1929—NCThailand.
C.f.noxWroughton,1908—coastalThailand,SEofBangkok.
C. f. sinistralis Wroughton, 1908 — C & NW Thailand.
C.f.trotteriKloss,1916—KohLanI(offSThailand).
C. f. williamsoni Robinson & Kloss, 1922 — W Laos. Introduced into Singapore and Japan (Honshu), and during the end of 20" century into onesite in N Italy (Acqui Terme, Alessandria Province).
Descriptive notes. Head—body 191-212 mm, tail 173-222 mm; weight c¢.278 g. Finlayson’s Squirrel is a quite variable species, differing both within and between subspecies; it ranges from all white, to all red, to all black. There may be more than one species included underthis name. Nominate subspecies finlaysoniiis all white, with a yellow tinge on back. Subspecies albivexilli has a black tail with a white tip. Subspecies annellatus is mainly reddish brown, with a cream band at base of tail. Subspecies bocourti is quite variable, with a black dorsum and a white-to-cream head and venter. Subspecies boonsongi is mostly black above, gray on venter, and ears edged in white. Subspecies cinnamomeus is usually all red, but it may be all olive agouti. Subspecies ferrugineus is red to dark red. Subspecies folletti is grayish white. Subspecies frandseni is red with gray flanks. Subspecies germaini is all black. Subspecies harmandi is reddish brown on dorsum,light orange red on venter, and has a grayish white tail. Subspecies menamicus is all red except for tip of tail, which is buffy white. Subspecies nox is completely black. Subspecies sinistralis is mostly reddish, with a reddish agouti dorsum and a cream band at base oftail, similar to annellatus. Subspecies trotteriis gray, with a white tail and black feet. Subspecies williamson: has a chestnut coloration on venter, abruptly delineated from the red-to-orange dorsum.
Habitat. Dense and open lowland forests, and coconut plantations. In 1915, Finlayson’s Squirrel was common in shrubby growth of Koh Si Chang. It is tolerant to some degree of habitat modification.
Food and Feeding. Diet and activity of Finlayson’s Squirrel was studied in Italy, where the species was introduced in 1981. Here they feed predominantly on vegetable matter, including fruits, seeds, buds, and flowers in season; buds in winter; and sap and bark in autumn, winter, and spring. Hard nuts provided by visitors were cached in nests or in trees, but never on the ground. To a small extent, these squirrels feed on insects, mostly ants.
Breeding. Three reproductive periods were observed in introduced populations of Finlayson’s Squirrel, April, July-August, and November-December. Females were associated with one or two juveniles that emerged from nest in January, February, June, and September. It is unknown whether these reproductive seasons correspond to those in the native distribution of the squirrel.
Activity patterns. Finlayson’s Squirrel is active most of the day, spends very little time on the ground, and spends most ofits active time foraging.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Homes ranges of individuals overlap extensively in the Italian populations.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Finlayson’s Squirrel is widely distributed, has a presumed large population, occurs in a number of protected areas, and tolerates some degree of habitat modification. There are no major threats to Finlayson’s Squirrel.
Bibliography. Bertolino (2009), Bertolino & Lurz (2013), Bertolino et al. (2004), Dang Huy Phuong et al. (2006), Duckworth, Timmins & Parr (2008), Kloss (1915), Lekagul & McNeely (1977), 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.
