Mountain treeshrew

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Mountain treeshrew [1]
Mountain Treeshrew imported from iNaturalist photo 64836579 on 1 January 2023.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Scandentia
Family: Tupaiidae
Genus: Tupaia
Species:
T. montana
Binomial name
Tupaia montana
Thomas, 1892
Mountain Treeshrew area.png
Mountain treeshrew range

The mountain treeshrew (Tupaia montana) is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. [1] It is endemic to Borneo and inhabits montane forests in Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia, and Kalimantan, Indonesia. [2]

Contents

The first specimen was described by Oldfield Thomas and was part of a zoological collection from northern Borneo obtained by the British Museum of Natural History. [3]

Characteristics

The mountain treeshrew is dark grizzled rufous above with an indistinct black line along the back. Its tail is rather short and grizzled rufous above, but below more olivaceous yellow with a black tip. The lateral tail hairs are ringed. The head and body length measures 15–33 cm and the tail length measures 13–19 cm. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Charles Hose collected the first specimen at about 4,000 ft (1,200 m) on Mount Dulit. [3] Mountain treeshrews have mostly been recorded in montane outcrops above 600 m (2,000 ft). [2]

Ecology and behaviour

In their natural habitat, mountain treeshrews were observed being active during the day. They forage on the ground among fallen logs and branches where they feed mostly on arthropods. They also consume large quantities of wild fruits and berries, eating them in short bursts. It is assumed that they extract sugar laden juices and in this way supplement any dietary deficiencies of an arthropod diet. [5]

Results of a behavioral study of a group of 12 wild-caught captive mountain treeshrews indicate that they are more social than groups of other treeshrew species. Two males tended to dominate the group. Females had an estrous cycle lasting nine to 12 days. Gestation lasted 49 to 51 days. They did not display a distinct reproductive season. Litters comprised one to two young. [6]

Mountain treeshrews have a mutualistic relationship with several pitcher plants species such as Nepenthes lowii , Nepenthes macrophylla , and Nepenthes rajah . They defecate into the plants' pitchers while visiting them to feed on sweet, fruity secretions from glands on the pitcher lids. [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Nepenthes rajah</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes rajah is a carnivorous pitcher plant species of the family Nepenthaceae. It is endemic to Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Nepenthes rajah grows exclusively on serpentine substrates, particularly in areas of seeping ground water where the soil is loose and permanently moist. The species has an altitudinal range of 1,500–2,650 metres (4,920–8,690 ft) a.s.l. and is thus considered a highland or sub-alpine plant. Due to its localised distribution, N. rajah is classified as an endangered species by the IUCN and listed on CITES Appendix I.

<i>Nepenthes villosa</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes villosa, or the villose pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in northeastern Borneo. It grows at higher elevations than any other Bornean Nepenthes species, occurring at elevations of over 3,200 m (10,500 ft). Nepenthes villosa is characterised by its highly developed and intricate peristome, which distinguishes it from the closely related N. edwardsiana and N. macrophylla.

<i>Nepenthes burbidgeae</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes burbidgeae, also known as the painted pitcher plant or Burbidge's Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical pitcher plant with a patchy distribution around Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Borneo.

<i>Nepenthes tentaculata</i> Species of pitcher plant from Southeast Asia

Nepenthes tentaculata, or the fringed pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant with a wide distribution across Borneo and Sulawesi. It grows at altitudes of 400–2550 m.

<i>Nepenthes bicalcarata</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes bicalcarata, also known as the fanged pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to northwestern Borneo, Indonesia. It is a myrmecophyte noted for its mutualistic association with a species of ant, Camponotus schmitzi. As an ant-fed plant it lacks many of the features that characterise the carnivorous syndrome in Nepenthes, including viscoelastic and highly acidic pitcher fluid, the waxy zone of the pitcher interior, and possibly even functional digestive enzymes.

<i>Nepenthes <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> kinabaluensis</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes × kinabaluensis, or the Kinabalu pitcher-plant, is the natural hybrid between N. rajah and N. villosa. It was first collected near Kambarangoh on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo by Lilian Gibbs in 1910 and later mentioned by John Muirhead Macfarlane as "Nepenthes sp." in 1914. Although Macfarlane did not formally name the plant, he noted that "[a]ll available morphological details suggest that this is a hybrid between N. villosa and N. rajah". It was finally described in 1976 by Shigeo Kurata as N. × kinabaluensis. The name was first published in Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu, but was a nomen nudum at the time as it lacked an adequate description and information on the type specimen. The name was subsequently published validly by Kurata in 1984.

<i>Nepenthes lowii</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes lowii, or Low's pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is named after Hugh Low, who discovered it on Mount Kinabalu. This species is perhaps the most unusual in the genus, being characterised by its strongly constricted upper pitchers, which bear a greatly reduced peristome and a reflexed lid with numerous bristles on its lower surface.

<i>Nepenthes fusca</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes fusca, or the dusky pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is found throughout a wide altitudinal range and is almost always epiphytic in nature, primarily growing in mossy forest.

<i>Nepenthes macrovulgaris</i> Tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo

Nepenthes macrovulgaris, or the serpentine pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is a lowland plant that typically grows at altitudes ranging from 300 to 1200 m in sub-montane forest clearings and mossy forest. Its range is restricted to ultramafic habitats, including Mount Kinabalu, Mount Tambuyukon, the Danum Valley, the Tawai Range, the Meliau Range and Mount Silam, all in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Pitchers grow to around 25 cm high and range in colour from green to brown, with the speckled form being the most common.

<i>Nepenthes <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> alisaputrana</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Nepenthes × alisaputrana, or the leopard pitcher-plant, is a hybrid of two well-known Nepenthes pitcher plant species: N. burbidgeae and N. rajah. The plant is confined to Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo.

<i>Nepenthes ephippiata</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes ephippiata, or the saddle-leaved pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It occurs in the Hose Mountains of central Sarawak, as well as Mount Raya and Bukit Lesung in Kalimantan. It grows in montane forest from 1,000 to 1,900 meters elevation.

<i>Nepenthes mollis</i> Tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo

Nepenthes mollis, or the velvet pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant species natives to Kalimantan, Borneo. It used to be known only from a single dried herbarium specimen and is the sole recognised species in the genus Nepenthes of which the pitchers are unknown. In 2019 Global Wildlife Conservation announced the rediscovery of the species.

<i>Nepenthes macrophylla</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes macrophylla, the large-leaved pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant known only from a very restrictive elevation on Mount Trusmadi in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

<i>Nepenthes muluensis</i> Tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo

Nepenthes muluensis, or the Mulu pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It grows in highland habitats at elevations of 1700 to 2400 m above sea level.

<i>Nepenthes <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> trusmadiensis</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Nepenthes × trusmadiensis, or the Trus Madi Pitcher-Plant, is a natural hybrid of two famous Bornean pitcher plant species: N. lowii and N. macrophylla. It is restricted to Mount Trus Madi, where both of its parent species are sympatric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summit rat</span> Species of rodent

The summit rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only on Mount Kinabalu and Mount Tambuyukon, Malaysia, and has been recorded at altitudes of 2,040 to 2,477 m on Mt. Tambuyukon and 2,670 to 3,426 m on Mt. Kinabalu. They are most abundant in higher altitude dwarf forest and montane scrubland. The rat populations from these two peaks were connected in the Holocene. However, nowadays they are genetically isolated despite they are only 18 km apart. With current predictions of Global warming, the suitable habitat for Rattus baluensis is expected to shift around 500 m upwards. This will put the population in Mount Tambuyukon at risk. However, the population in Mount Kinabalu will likely survive in its upper slopes. Genetic analysis situate its origin in a local population of Rattus tiomanicus from northern Borneo at around 300-400 thousand years ago.

<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.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 Helgen, K.M. (2005). "Tupaia montana". 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. 107. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cassola, F. (2016). "Tupaia montana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41498A22279521. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T41498A22279521.en . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. 1 2 Thomas, O. (1892). On some new Mammalia from the East-Indian Archipelago. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History 6 (9): 250–254.
  4. Shepherd, Chris R.; Shepherd, Loretta Ann (2012). A Naturalist's Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia. Wiltshire, UK: John BeauFoy Publishing. p. 15. ISBN   978-1-906780-71-5.
  5. Emmons, L. (2000). Tupai: A field study of Bornean treeshrews. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
  6. Sorenson, M. W., Conaway, C. H. (1968). The social and reproductive behavior of Tupaia montana in captivity. Journal of Mammalogy: 502–512.
  7. Greenwood, M., Clarke, C., Lee, C.C., Gunsalam, A., Clarke, R. H. (2011). A unique resource mutualism between the giant Bornean pitcher plant, Nepenthes rajah, and members of a small mammal community. PLoS ONE6(6): e21114. doi : 10.1371/journal.pone.0021114
  8. Chin, L., Moran, J. A., Clarke, C. (2010). Trap geometry in three giant montane pitcher plant species from Borneo is a function of tree shrew body size. New Phytologist 186 (2): 461–470. doi : 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.03166.x