Prosciurillus leucomus (Muller & Schlegel, 1844)

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 : 718

19.

Whitsh Dwart Squirrel

Prosciurillus leucomus

French: Ecureuil givré / German: WeiRliches Sulawesi-Zwerghdrnchen / Spanish: Ardilla enana blanquecina

Taxonomy. Sciurus leucomus S. Muller & Schlegel, 1844 ,

“Celebes.”

Restricted by A. B. Meyer in 1898 to Minahassa, northeast of Celebes (= Sulawesi), Indonesia.

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.l.leucomusS.Muller&Schlegel,1844—NSulawesi(NpeninsulaandNCentralSulawesiProvinceexceptWofGorontaloProvince)andLembehI.

P. l. occidentalis Meyer, 1898 — N Sulawesi (W of Gorontalo Province).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 165-188 mm, tail 140-190 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Dorsum of the Whitish Dwarf Squirrel is olive-brown, sometimes flecked with orange, buff, or black. Venter is reddish orange or ocherous, and tail is ringed black and buff with a black tuft at tip. Ears are black outside, with a prominent ear tuft, and bright ocherous inside.

Habitat. Coastal lowlands and montane forests up to ¢.1700 m.

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but it is thought that the Whitish Dwarf Squirrel consumes soft fruits and insects.

Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but female Whitish Dwarf Squirrels have three pairs of teats, two inguinal and one post-axillary.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Whitish Dwarf Squirrel appears to dwell in upper forest canopy.

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. There is no sufficient information on the population size and trend for the Whitish Dwarf Squirrel. It is a forest obligate species that occurs at low densities and is threatened by habitat loss due to forest clearing.

Bibliography. Meyer (1898), Musser et al. (2010), Ruedas & Suyanto (2008b), Thorington et al. (2012).