Hylopetes nigripes (Thomas, 1893)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6840588 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFF5-ED08-FA14-FB6CF6E6FDBC |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Hylopetes nigripes |
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Palawan Flying Squirrel
Hylopetes nigripes View in CoL
French: Polatouche de Palawan / German: Palawan-Gleithornchen / Spanish: Ardilla voladora de Palawan
Taxonomy. Sciuropterus nigripes Thomas, 1893 ,
“Puerta Princesa, Palawan, Philip-
pines.”
Two subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
H.n.migripesThomas,1893—PalawanI,SWPhilippines.
H. n. elassodontus Osgood, 1918 — Bancalan I, SW Philippines.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 250-330 mm, tail 250-310 mm; weight c.534 g. The Palawan Flying Squirrel is a medium-large species of Hylopetes. Fur is long and woolly and grizzled grayish brown dorsally;it is whitish to grayish white on throat, chest, and abdomen; and it has large ears thinly haired and blackish toward tips. Feet are black on upper surfaces and dark brown-black on lower surfaces and heels. Tail is thickly furred and indistinctly distichous, with yellow-whitish proximal hairs broadly tipped with brown, and more distal hairs are fully dark brown. Patagium is thinly haired. Individuals on Palawan can have varying degrees of albinism. Subspecies elassodontus is smaller that nominate nigripes.
Habitat. Lower elevations in primary and secondary forests. The Palawan Flying Squirrel nests in cavities of large trees. It appears to withstand some degree of habitat disturbance (e.g. selective logging), but more information is needed on its susceptibility to illegal logging and clearing for agriculture.
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 Palawan Flying Squirrel is nocturnal and arboreal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Current population trend of the Palawan Flying Squirrel is decreasing. It is under threat from decreasing good-quality habitat and is hunted for food and the pet trade. Deforestation is a very serious threat because it relies on tree cavities for nesting. It can be detected by spotlighting and listening forits distinct vocalizations. More surveys are needed to clarify natural history and ecological relationships to improve conservation action.
Bibliography. Esselstyn et al. (2004), Jackson (2012), Jackson & Thorington (2012), Ong, Tabaranza, Rosell-Ambal & Balete (2008b), Thomas (1893), Thorington et al. (2012), Timm & Birney (1980).
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.
