Biology:Mexican gray squirrel

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Short description: Species of rodent

Mexican gray squirrel
Mexican Gray Squirrel - Sciurus Aureogaster.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Sciurus
Species:
S. aureogaster
Binomial name
Sciurus aureogaster
F. Cuvier, 1829
Subspecies[2]
  • S. a. aureogaster
  • S. a. nigrescens
Sciurus aureogaster range map.svg
Mexican gray squirrel range

The Mexican gray squirrel (or red-bellied squirrel) (Sciurus aureogaster) is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to Guatemala and eastern and southern Mexico. It has been introduced to the Florida Keys.[3][1]

The alternate name should not be confused with the Indonesian red-bellied squirrel (Rubrisciurus rubriventer) or the Asian red-bellied tree squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus).

Behaviour

Since the introduction of the species to Florida in the late 1930s, its nesting locations have become more irregular, nesting in varying species of trees and even choosing to nest in hurricane debris.[4][5]

Ecology

Sciurus aureogaster has had an extremely negative impact on Thrinax radiata populations on Elliot Key. It uses palm fibers as nesting materials and consumes the palm itself, often killing the plant.[6]

Subspecies

The two subspecies each have many synonyms associated with them:[2]

  • The subspecies S. a. aureogaster was also known as S. a. chrysogaster, S. a. ferruginiventris, S. a. hypopyrrhus, S. a. hypoxanthus, S. a. leucogaster, S. a. maurus, S. a. morio, S. a. mustelinus, S. a. raviventer and S. a. rufiventris.
  • The subspecies S. a. nigrescens was also known as S. a. affinis, S. a. albipes, S. a. cervicalis, S. a. chiapensis, S. a. cocos, S. a. colimensis, S. a. effugius, S. a. frumentor, S. a. griseoflavus, S. a. hernandezi, S. a. hirtus, S. a. leucops, S. a. littoralis, S. a. nelsoni, S. a. nemoralis, S. a. perigrinator, S. a. poliopus, S. a. quercinus, S. a. rufipes, S. a. senex, S. a. socialis, S. a. tepicanus, S. a. varius and S. a. wagneri.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Koprowski, J.; Roth, L.; Reid, F.; Woodman, N.; Timm, R.; Emmons, L. (2017). "Sciurus aureogaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T20006A22248035. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T20006A22248035.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/20006/22248035. Retrieved 12 November 2021. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Thorington, R.W. Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Sciurus (Sciurus) aureogaster". in Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. 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. https://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=12400101. 
  3. Long, J. L. (2003). Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution and Influence. Csiro Publishing, Collingwood, Australia. ISBN:9780643099166
  4. Ramos-Lara, Nicolás; Cervantes, Fernando A (September 2011). "Ecology of the Mexican red-bellied squirrel (Sciurus aureogaster) in Michoacán, Mexico.". The Southwestern Naturalist 56 (3): 400–403. doi:10.1894/N02-RTS-11.1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259888540. Retrieved 13 November 2022. 
  5. Palmer, Geoffrey H; Koprowski, John L; Pernas, Anthony J (16 December 2013). "Nest tree and site selection of an introduced population of red-bellied squirrels (Sciurus aureogaster)". Journal of Mammalogy 94 (6): 1274–1281. doi:10.1644/12-MAMM-A-308.1. 
  6. Template:Cite tech report


External links

Wikidata ☰ Q1768493 entry