Exilisciurus whiteheadi (Thomas, 1887)

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 : 717

13.

Tufted Pygmy Squirrel

Exilisciurus whiteheadi

French: Ecureuil de Whitehead / German: Quasten-Zwerghérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla pigmea de penachos

Other common names: \ Whitehead's Pigmy Squirrel

Taxonomy. Sciurus whiteheadi: Thomas, 1887 ,

Mt Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. N & W Borneo, through Sabah, Brunei, Sarawak and Kalimantan Mts.

Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 86 mm (males) and 85 mm (females), tail mean 63 mm (males) and 65 mm (females); weight mean 22-1 g (males) and 24 g (females). The Tufted Pygmy Squirrel is intermediate in size between the Philippine Pygmy Squirrel (E. concinnus) and the Least Pygmy Squirrel (E. exilis). Pelage is dark grayish brown, finely grizzled with black on dorsum, and paler on venter; ears have white hair tufts at least 20 mm long.

Habitat. Dipterocarp and lower montane forests at elevations of ¢.600-3000 m.

Food and Feeding. The Tufted Pygmy Squirrel is a bark gleaner, foraging from the tree buttress to the canopy. Its diet consists of moss and lichens.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Tufted Pygmy Squirrel is diurnal.

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

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Tufted Pygmy Squirrel has a wide distribution,it is unlikely to be declining in population size, and there are no known major threats.

Bibliography. Conaway (1968), Davis (1958, 1962), Duckworth, Meijaard, Giman & Han (2008b), Heaney (1985), Moore (1958a), Thorington et al. (2012), Yasuma et al. (2003).

Figures

1. Neotropical Pygmy Squirrel (Sciurillus pusillus), 2. Black Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolor), 3. Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica), 4. Sri Lankan Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura), 5. Pale Giant Squirrel (Ratufa affinis), 6. Northern Palm Squirrel (Funambulus pennant), 7. Indian Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum), 8. Jungle Palm Squirrel (Funambulus trisiriatus), 9. Dusky Palm Squirrel (Funambulus sublineatus), 10. Layard’s Palm Squirrel (Funambulus layardi), 11. Philippine Pygmy Squirrel (Exilisciurus concinnus), 12. Least Pygmy Squirrel (Exilisciurus exilis), 13. Tufted Pygmy Squirrel (Exilisciurus whiteheadi), 14. Lowland Long-nosed Squirrel (Hyosciurus ileile), 15. Montane Long-nosed Squirrel (Hyosciurus heinrich), 16. Sulawesi Giant Squirrel (Rubrisciurus rubriventer), 17. Sanghir Squirrel (Prosciurillus rosenbergii), 18. Celebes Dwarf Squirrel (Prosciurillus murinus), 19. Whitsh Dwart Squirrel (Prosciurillus leucomus), 20. Mount Topapu Squirrel (Prosciurillus topapuensis), 21. Alston’s Squirrel (Prosciurillus alstoni), 22. Weber’s Dwarf Squirrel (Prosciurillus weberi), 23. Secretive Dwarf Squirrel (Prosciurillus abstrusus)