Madras treeshrew

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Madras treeshrew [1]
The Madras treeshrew (Anathana ellioti) by Davidraju img7.jpg
In Satpura National Park, Pachmarhi
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [3]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Scandentia
Family: Tupaiidae
Genus: Anathana
Lyon, 1913
Species:
A. ellioti
Binomial name
Anathana ellioti
(Waterhouse, 1850) [4]
Anathana ellioti map.png
Madras treeshrew range

The Madras treeshrew (Anathana ellioti), also known as the Indian treeshrew, is a species of treeshrew in the monotypic genus Anathana found in the hill forests of central and southern India. The genus name is derived from the Tamil name of moongil anathaan (literally "bamboo squirrel") and the species name is after Sir Walter Elliot of the Indian Civil Services in Madras.

Contents

Description

A. e. ellioti from Yercaud, Tamil Nadu Anathana ellioti.jpg
A. e. ellioti from Yercaud, Tamil Nadu

This treeshrew is 16.0 to 18.5 cm long with a tail of 16.5 to 19.5 cm. The nominate race (type locality: Eastern Ghats, Madras. British Museum 50.1.21.5) has the tail coloured like the back, the ground colour above being reddish-brown while the feet and hind legs are buff or ochraceous. The other two races have the tail coloured differently from the back. The race A. e. pallida (type locality: Manbhum, Bengal, collected by Robert Cecil Beavan British Museum 66.12.28.2) has the colour of body above reddish-brown and the feet and hind legs grizzled buffy. Race A. e. wroughtoni (type locality: Mandvi, Surat, collected by R. C. Wroughton British Museum 96.11.7.1) has the colour of body above dull grizzled brownish and the feet and hind legs grizzled greyish. [5] Some later workers lump all the three races. [6]

Its dental formula is 2.1.3.33.1.3.3 × 2 = 38. The dentition is suited for an omnivorous diet. [7]

Some authors have suggested this species could be included within the genus Tupaia , although most have kept the genus separate based on anatomical differences. [8]

Distribution

The Madras treeshrew is found on the Indian Subcontinent south of the Ganges River. Three subspecies have been described —A. e. ellioti of the Eastern Ghats, Biligirirangan [9] and the Shevaroy Hills and other hills of Southern India, A. e. pallida from Central India primarily in Madhya Pradesh and Raipur, and A. e. wroughtoni from the Satpura Range and the Dangs near Bombay. They have been reported within the Western Ghats ranges of Wayanad (Periya) [10] and Mahabaleshwar. The northernmost record is from Garhwa district of Bihar. [11] Little is known about the status of these populations as the distribution is patchy, but S. M. Mohnot considered them as "common" in 1975. [12]

Behaviour and ecology

Rest posture of the Madras treeshrew Anathana rest.svg
Rest posture of the Madras treeshrew

This species of treeshrew is not particularly arboreal and spends much of its time on the ground or clambering about on rocky terrain in the search of insects and seeds. [14] It is easily separated from the squirrels in the field by the shape and color of the tail and the upward curve in which it is held when walking about.

They have a behaviour of climbing up low, slanting trunks and sliding down headfirst. [15] This may be associated with scent marking, as many of the Scandentia have scent glands on their throats.

A species of sucking louse Docophthirus acinetus is found only on this species, the genus itself being restricted to hosts in the family Tupaiidae. [16] Endoparasitic microfiliriae have also been described from the species. [17] The Crested Hawk-eagle ( Nisaetus cirrhatus ) has been known to prey on this tree shrew. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treeshrew</span> Order of mammals

The treeshrews are small mammals native to the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. They make up the entire order Scandentia, which split into two families: the Tupaiidae, and the Ptilocercidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-throated bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The yellow-throated bulbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. The species is endemic to southern peninsular India. They are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying. It is confusable only with the white-browed bulbul with which its range overlaps but is distinctively yellow on the head and throat apart from the yellow vent. The calls of this species are very similar to that of the white-browed bulbul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-necked mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from South Asia

The stripe-necked mongoose is a mongoose species native to forests and shrublands from southern India to Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The northern treeshrew is a treeshrew species native to Southeast Asia.

<i>Spizaetus</i> Genus of birds

Spizaetus is the typical hawk-eagle birds of prey genus found in the tropics of the Americas. It was however used to indicate a group of tropical eagles that included species occurring in southern and southeastern Asia and one representative of this genus in the rainforests of West Africa. The Old World species have been separated into the genus Nisaetus. Several species have a prominent head crest. These are medium to large-sized raptors, most being between 55 and 75 cm long, and tend to be long-tailed and slender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The common treeshrew is a small mammal in the treeshrew family Tupaiidae, and is native to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it remains common and displays some adaptability to ongoing habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern smooth-tailed treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The northern smooth-tailed treeshrew is a species of treeshrew in the family Tupaiidae found in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Their diet primarily consists of invertebrates but rarely includes fruits and plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen-tailed treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The pen-tailed treeshrew is a treeshrew of the family Ptilocercidae native to southern Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and some Indonesian islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-bellied treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The golden-bellied treeshrew is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is also called Mentawai treeshrew as it is endemic to the Indonesian Mentawai islands of Sipora, North and South Pagai. It lives in forests, and is considered endangered due to habitat loss since the islands' forests are continuously logged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsfield's treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

Horsfield's treeshrew, also called Javan treeshrew, is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Bali, Java and Nias where it inhabits foremost primary forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The mountain treeshrew is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is endemic to Borneo and inhabits montane forests in Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia, and Kalimantan, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicobar treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The Nicobar treeshrew is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is endemic to the Nicobar Islands where it inhabits the islands' rain forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The painted treeshrew is a treeshrew species of the family Tupaiidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The large treeshrew is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is native to Sumatra and adjacent small islands, as well as in the lowlands and hills of Borneo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindanao treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The Mindanao treeshrew, also called the Philippine tree shrew, is a species of treeshrew endemic to the Mindanao region in the Philippines. It was formerly considered the only member of the genus Urogale, but that genus was merged into Tupaia when the species was found to nest within the latter genus in a molecular phylogeny. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett.

<i>Tupaia</i> (mammal) Genus of mammals

Tupaia is a treeshrew genus in the family Tupaiidae that was first described by Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1821. The name of this genus derives from the Malay word tupai meaning squirrel or small animal resembling a squirrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupaiidae</span> Family of mammals

Tupaiidae is one of two families of treeshrews, the other family being Ptilocercidae. The family contains three living genera and 19 living species. The family name derives from tupai, the Malay word for treeshrew and also for squirrel which tupaiids superficially resemble. The former genus Urogale was disbanded in 2011 when the Mindanao treeshrew was moved to Tupaia based on a molecular phylogeny.

References

  1. ↑ Helgen, K.M. (2005). "Order Scandentia". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 104. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. ↑ Molur, S. (2016). "Anathana ellioti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T39593A22278758. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T39593A22278758.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  4. ↑ Waterhouse, G. (1850). "Description of a new species of Tupaia discovered in continental India by Walter Elliot Esq". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1849: 106–108.
  5. ↑ Wroughton, R. C. (1918). "Summary of the Indian Mammal Survey, Part 2". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 26: 28–29.
  6. ↑ Srinivasulu, C. & Srinivasulu, B. (2004). "Checklist of Scandents and Pholidots (Mammalia: Scandentia and Pholidota) of South Asia" (PDF). Zoos' Print Journal. 19 (2): 1372–1374. doi:10.11609/jott.zpj.19.2.1372-4.
  7. ↑ Verma, K. (1965). "Notes on the biology and anatomy of the Indian tree-shrew, Anathana wroughtoni". Mammalia. 29 (3): 289–330. doi:10.1515/mamm.1965.29.3.289. S2CID   84002920.
  8. ↑ Olson, L.E.; Sargis, E.J. & Martin, R.D. (2004). "Phylogenetic relationships among treeshrews (Scandentia): A review and critique of the morphological evidence" (PDF). Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 11 (1): 49–71. doi:10.1023/b:jomm.0000029145.28207.6d. S2CID   13844857.
  9. ↑ Srinivasan, Umesh; N.S. Prashanth; Shyamal Lakshminarayanan; Kalyan Varma; S. Karthikeyan; Sainath Vellal; Giri Cavale; Dilan Mandanna; Philip Ross & Thapa (26 May 2009). "Occurrence of the Madras Tree Shrew Anathana ellioti (Waterhouse) (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) in the Biligirirangan Hills, Karnataka, India" (PDF). Journal of Threatened Taxa. 1 (5): 283–286. doi: 10.11609/jott.o2100.283-6 . ISSN   0974-7907 . Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  10. ↑ George, N. (1989). "On the status of the Madras treeshrew (Anathana ellioti ellioti)". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 86 (3): 436–437.
  11. ↑ Gupta, H. S. (1996). "On the occurrence of the Indian tree shrew (Anathana ellioti) in the Garhwa Forest, Bihar". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 93 (3): 581.
  12. ↑ Mohnot SM (1978). "On the primate resources of India". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 75 (4): 961–969.
  13. ↑ Karthikeyan, S. 1992. A Preliminary Study of the Indian Tree Shrew at Yercaud, India. Submitted to WWF-India, TamilNadu state office, Sponsored by WWF-US. September 1992 pages 40
  14. ↑ Bora, S. (2002). "Anathana ellioti". Animal Diversity Web . Retrieved 2006-10-16.{{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  15. ↑ Chorazyna, H., G. Kurup. 1975. Observations on the Ecology and Behaviour of Anathana ellioti in the Wild. Contemporary Primatology: 5th International Congress of Primatology: 342-344.
  16. ↑ Durden, Lance A. (1984). "Possible function of cephalic outgrowths of sucking lice (Anoplura) parasitic on tree shrews (Tupaiidae)". Journal of Medical Entomology. 21 (4): 470–471. doi:10.1093/jmedent/21.4.470. PMID   6492087.
  17. ↑ Nandi NC (1982). "Brugia-type microfilariae in the Madras tree shrew Anathana ellioti (Waterhouse)". J. Helminthol. 56 (2): 93–94. doi:10.1017/S0022149X00034283. PMID   7096974. S2CID   45625064.
  18. ↑ Sirdesai, V., M. Ali, and M. S. R. Shad. 2013. Crested Hawk-eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus feeding on Madras Treeshrew Anathana ellioti. Indian Birds 8(1):13.
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