Red bush squirrel

Species of rodent

Red bush squirrel
Nominate race in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Paraxerus
Species:
P. palliatus
Binomial name
Paraxerus palliatus
(Peters, 1852)
Subspecies[2]
  • P. p. palliatus
  • P. p. bridgemani
  • P. p. frerei
  • P. p. ornatus
  • P. p. sponsus
  • P. p. swynnertoni
  • P. p. tanae

The red bush squirrel or red-bellied coast squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, which is found in bush and forest along the eastern seaboard of Africa. It is closely related to P. lucifer, P. vexillarius and P. (p.) vincenti.[3]

Range and habitat

It is native to Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

Races

Subspecies P. p. ornatus of oNgoye forest, South Africa

The southernmost subspecies, P. p. ornatus, is endemic to oNgoye Forest in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.[4] P. p. swynnertoni is endemic to Chirinda Forest in eastern Zimbabwe,[5] and P. (p.) vincenti at Mount Namuli is sometimes deemed a full species.[6] The species is smaller (and weighs less) with more rufous pelage in dry forest, and larger and darker in moist forest.[3]

References

  1. ^ Grubb, P. (2008). "Paraxerus palliatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.old-form url
  2. ^ Thorington, R.W. Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. OCLC 26158608.
  3. ^ a b Kingdon, Jonathan; Happold, David; Butynski, Thomas; Hoffmann, Michael; Happold, Meredith; Kalina, Jan (2013). Mammals of Africa. Vol. 3. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-4081-8996-2.
  4. ^ Mills, Gus; Hes, Lex (1997). The complete book of southern African mammals (1. ed.). Cape Town: Struik Publishers. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-947430-55-9.
  5. ^ Timberlake, Jonathan (6 November 2002). "The Biodiversity and Ecology of Chirinda Forest" (PDF). BFA SEMINAR SERIES NO. 17. Bulawayo Club. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  6. ^ Kingdon, J.; et al. (2013). Mammals of Africa. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-4081-8996-2.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Extant species of family Sciuridae (subfamily Xerinae)
Xerini
Atlantoxerus
  • Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus)
Spermophilopsis
  • Long-clawed ground squirrel (Spermophilopsis leptodactylus)
Xerus
(African ground squirrels)
  • Subgenus Euxerus: Striped ground squirrel (Xerus erythropus)
  • Subgenus Geosciurus: Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris)
  • Mountain ground squirrel (Xerus princeps)
  • Subgenus Xerus: Unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus)
Protoxerini
Epixerus
  • Ebian's palm squirrel (Epixerus ebii)
Funisciurus
(African striped squirrels)
  • Thomas's rope squirrel (Funisciurus anerythrus)
  • Lunda rope squirrel (Funisciurus bayonii)
  • Carruther's mountain squirrel (Funisciurus carruthersi)
  • Congo rope squirrel (Funisciurus congicus)
  • Lady Burton's rope squirrel (Funisciurus isabella)
  • Ribboned rope squirrel (Funisciurus lemniscatus)
  • Red-cheeked rope squirrel (Funisciurus leucogenys)
  • Fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus)
  • Kintampo rope squirrel (Funisciurus substriatus)
Heliosciurus
(sun squirrels)
  • Gambian sun squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus)
  • Mutable sun squirrel (Heliosciurus mutabilis)
  • Small sun squirrel (Heliosciurus punctatus)
  • Red-legged sun squirrel (Heliosciurus rufobrachium)
  • Ruwenzori sun squirrel (Heliosciurus ruwenzorii)
  • Zanj sun squirrel (Heliosciurus undulatus)
Myosciurus
  • African pygmy squirrel (Myosciurus pumilio)
Paraxerus
(African bush squirrels)
  • Alexander's bush squirrel (Paraxerus alexandri)
  • Boehm's bush squirrel (Paraxerus boehmi)
  • Smith's bush squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi)
  • Cooper's mountain squirrel (Paraxerus cooperi)
  • Striped bush squirrel (Paraxerus flavovittis)
  • African red bush squirrel (Paraxerus lucifer)
  • Ochre bush squirrel (Paraxerus ochraceus)
  • Red bush squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus)
  • Green bush squirrel (Paraxerus poensis)
  • Swynnerton's bush squirrel (Paraxerus vexillarius)
  • Vincent's bush squirrel (Paraxerus vincenti)
Protoxerus
(African giant squirrels)
  • Slender-tailed squirrel (Protoxerus aubinnii)
  • Forest giant squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri)
Marmotini
(ground squirrels)
Category
Taxon identifiers
Paraxerus palliatus


Stub icon

This squirrel article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e