''Sundasciurus robinsoni'', or Robinson's squirrel, is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

. It is found in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. The species ''Sundasciurus robinsoni'' has a dorsum that ranges from medium brown with orange

agouti The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to Central America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced else ...

to dark brown (''S. r. vanakeni''), and its

venter Venter or Venters is an Afrikaans (and rarely, Jewish) surname, and may refer to: Venter * AJ Venter (b. 1973), South African rugby union footballer * Al J Venter (b. 1938), author * André Venter (b. 1970), South African rugby union footballer * ...

ranges from white to pale yellow/buff white, with a reduction in the extent of this pale coloration and a lack of distinct margins in the case of ''S. r. vanakeni''. Some populations (''S. r. balae'' and ''S. r. vanakeni'') have a grayish ventral coloration in limbs while others do not (''S. r. robinsoni''). It can be easily distinguished from other medium-sized western

Sundaland Sundaland (also called Sundaica or the Sundaic region) is a biogeographical region of Southeast Asia corresponding to a larger landmass that was exposed throughout the last 2.6 million years during periods when sea levels were lower. It inc ...

Sundasciurus ''Sundasciurus'' is a genus of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It contains 20 species: *Genus ''Sundasciurus'' ** Sumatran mountain squirrel (''Sundasciurus altitudinis'') ** Brooke's squirrel (''Sundasciurus brookei'') ** Davao squirrel (''Su ...

'' based on its ventral coloration and tail. All populations of '' S. fraterculus'' except

Siberut Siberut is the largest and northernmost of the Mentawai Islands, located 150 kilometres west of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. It covers an area of 3,838.25 km2 including smaller offshore islands, and had a population of 35,091 at the 2010 Cen ...

, '' S. tahan'', and '' S. altitudinis'' have a venter fur coloration homogeneously admixed with gray. The only other medium-sized squirrel found in

syntopy In biology, two closely related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter each other. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct spe ...

, '' S. tenuis'', is also usually ventrally darker ( admixed with gray) and dorsally lighter, with reddish-brown coloration on the shoulders and hips, white/pallid yellow hair tips present on tail, and a relatively thinner and longer tail (85–95% of head-body length; than ''S. robinsoni'' (56–84% of head-body length). Males of ''S. fraterculus'', ''S. tahan'' and ''S. tenuis'' have a darker orange wash in the scrotal area than ''S. robinsoni'', which is peach colored.

References

External links

* - Entry on MammalDiversity.org {{Taxonbar, from=Q98034216 Sundasciurus Rodents of Indonesia Rodents of Malaysia Rodents of Thailand Mammals described in 1902 Taxa named by J. Lewis Bonhote