<Unknown Taxon>

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 648-837 : 834

281.

Lunda Rope Squirrel

Funisciurus bayonii

French: Ecureuil de Bocage / German: Lunda-Rotschenkelhdrnchen / Spanish: Ardilla listada africana de Lunda

Taxonomy. Sciurus bayonii Bocage, 1890,

“du Duque de Braganca,”

northern An-

gola.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. C Africa, from S DR Congo to NE Angola.

Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 184-2 mm (males) and 250-5 mm (females), tail mean 201-1 mm (males) and 199 mm (females); weight mean 135 g. The Lunda Rope Squirrel is medium-sized and has olive tinged dorsum, with small black spots and faint buff longitudinal stripe from shoulder to hips and buff eye ring. Venteris light gray, suffused with tan; tail is slightly longer than body and subtly ringed with dark black and gold.

Habitat. Might prefer forest-savanna mosaics, sandy woodlands, and lowto mediumelevation moist forests.

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Lunda Rope Squirrelis diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Lunda Rope Squirrel is very poorly known, with little information available on its distribution, ecological requirements, and population size. Sightings have not been reported since the mid-1900s, and it is probably uncommon orrare.

Bibliography. Amtmann (1966, 1975), Hayman (1951), Thorington, Koprowski et al. (2012), Thorington, Pappas & Schennum (2013a).