The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Rodents: part one

Quite. There are a number of dodgily-labelled photos of various animals in the galleries from the Philippine zoos, mostly due to the zoos' labelling although also I think from people just making a guess at what they think the animal is. On Google there are also various exotic (to the Philippines) squirrels labelled as Philippine species. The Squirrels of the World book by Thorington et al mostly has written descriptions for the Philippine species with only a few having photos. So, suffice to say, I have no idea what is what and I really need someone to go to the archipelago and get photos of wild animals from different islands.

 

I have my own expeditions to fund...

 

I let @LaughingDove go, and he broke the Big Year!

 

The final subfamily of Sciuridae is Xerinae, containing about 125 species in twenty-four genera. This subfamily contains the typical ground squirrels (as opposed to the southeast Asian ground squirrels, which are modified Callosciurinae). Many of the species in this subfamily will be familiar to Northern Hemisphere Zoochatters, including as it does the marmots, sousliks, prairie dogs, chipmunks, etc.

In total, sixty-two species from nineteen genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Xerinae is divided into three Tribes, as follows:


Xerini (African ground squirrels) has six species in three genera: Atlantoxerus, Spermophilopsis, Xerus.

There are four species currently represented in the Zoochat galleries, from two genera: Atlantoxerus and Xerus.


Protoxerini (African tree squirrels) has thirty species in six genera: Epixerus, Funisciurus, Heliosciurus, Myosciurus, Paraxerus, Protoxerus.

Only seven species are currently represented in the Zoochat galleries, from three genera: Funisciurus, Heliosciurus, Paraxerus.


Marmotini (Holarctic ground squirrels) has about ninety species in fifteen genera: Ammospermophilus, Callospermophilus, Cynomys, Eutamias, Ictidomys, Marmota, Neotamias, Notocitellus, Otospermophilus, Poliocitellus, Sciurotamias, Spermophilus, Tamias, Urocitellus, Xerospermophilus. This Tribe has undergone quite a bit of taxonomic change, with the large genus Spermophilus - formerly being considered monophyletic - being broken into several smaller genera.

Fifty-one species from fourteen genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries. The only genus not yet represented is Notocitellus.

 

The Tribe Xerini (African ground squirrels) has six species in three genera: Atlantoxerus, Spermophilopsis, Xerus.

Four species from two genera (Atlantoxerus and Xerus) are currently represented in the Zoochat galleries.

 

Atlantoxerus
One species


Barbary Ground Squirrel Atlantoxerus getulus
Monotypic


Photo by @robmv at Zoo Plzen, Czech Republic


Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus), 12.06.2007 | ZooChat

 

Xerus
Four species, three of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Striped Ground Squirrel Xerus erythropus
Five or six subspecies: chadensis, erythropus, lacustris, leucoumbrinus, limitaneus, microdon. A further subspecies, moestus, may be recognised (otherwise synonymised with lacustris), while microdon may be synonymised with leucoumbrinus.


Photo by @lintworm in the wild, Kenya (subspecies microdon - Kingdon's Mammals of Africa notes the suggestion that this subspecies may be synonymous with leucoumbrinus)


Striped ground squirrel | ZooChat


Cape Ground Squirrel Xerus inauris
Monotypic


Photo by @Maguari at Prague Zoo, Czech Republic


Cape Ground Squirrels at Prague, 25/08/12 | ZooChat


Mountain Ground Squirrel Xerus princeps
Monotypic

There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.


Unstriped Ground Squirrel Xerus rutilus
Eight subspecies: dabagala, dorsalis, intensus, massaicus, rufifrons, rutilus, saturatus, stephanicus


Photo by @lintworm in the wild, Kenya (subspecies dorsalis)


Unstriped ground squirrel | ZooChat

 

Spermophilopsis
One species


Long-clawed Ground Squirrel Spermophilopsis leptodactylus
Three subspecies: bactrianus, heptopotamicus, leptodactylus


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

The Tribe Protoxerini (African tree squirrels) has thirty species in six genera: Epixerus, Funisciurus, Heliosciurus, Myosciurus, Paraxerus, Protoxerus.

Only seven species from three genera (Funisciurus, Heliosciurus, Paraxerus) are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

 

Epixerus
One species


Ebian's Palm Squirrel Epixerus ebii
Three subspecies: ebii, jonesi, wilsoni. The last-named has also been treated as a full species.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

Funisciurus
Nine species, of which only one species is represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Fire-footed Rope Squirrel Funisciurus pyrropus
Nine subspecies: akka, leonis, leucostigma, mandingo, nigrensis, niveatus, pembertoni, pyrropus, talboti


Photo by @gentle lemur at London Zoo, UK (subspecies leonis)


Sierra Leone striped squirrel 1976 | ZooChat


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None of the remaining eight species in the genus are represented in the Zoochat galleries:


Thomas' Rope Squirrel Funisciurus anerythrus
Four subspecies: anerythrus, bandarum, mystax, raptorum


Lunda Rope Squirrel Funisciurus bayonii
Monotypic


Carruthers' Rope Squirrel Funisciurus carruthersi
Four subspecies: birungensis, carruthersi, chrysippus, tanganyikae


Congo Rope Squirrel Funisciurus congicus
Monotypic


Lady Burton's Rope Squirrel Funisciurus isabella
Two subspecies: dubosti, isabella


Ribboned Rope Squirrel Funisciurus lemniscatus
Two subspecies: lemniscatus, mayumbicus


Red-cheeked Rope Squirrel Funisciurus leucogenys
Three subspecies: auriculatus, leucogenys, oliviae


Kintampo Rope Squirrel Funisciurus substriatus
Monotypic

 

Heliosciurus
Six species, of which three species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Gambian Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus gambianus
Sixteen subspecies (although note that Kingdon's Mammals of Africa considers the species to be monotypic despite its wide distribution and considerable variation in colour): abassensis, bongensis, canaster, dysoni, elegans, gambianus, hoogstraali, kaffensis, lateris, limbatus, loandicus, madogae, multicolor, omensis, rhodesiae, senescens


Photo by @gentle lemur in the wild, Ghana (subspecies gambianus)


Gambian sun squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Ethiopia (subspecies multicolor)


Gambian sun squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus) - ZooChat


Red-legged Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus rufobrachium
Twenty-two subspecies: arrhenii, aubryi, benga, brauni, caurinus, coenosus, emissus, hardyi, isabellinus, keniae, leakyi, leonensis, lualabae, maculatus, medjianus, nyansae, obfuscatus, occidentalis, pasha, rubricatus, rufobrachium, semlikii


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Uganda (subspecies nyansae)


Red-footed Sun Squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari at Cologne Zoo, Germany (unknown subspecies)


Red-legged Sun Squirrel at Cologne, 07/09/10 | ZooChat


Zanj Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus undulatus
Monotypic


Photo by @Azubaa in the wild, Zanzibar (Tanzania)


Zanj Sun Squirrel - ZooChat


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The remaining species in the genus are not currently represented in the Zoochat galleries:


Mutable Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus mutabilis
Five subspecies recognised, although it is usually also noted that these are uncertainly valid due to the wide colour variations in the species and it may be better treated as being monotypic: beirae, chirindensis, mutabilis. shirensis, vumbae


Small Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus punctatus
Two subspecies: punctatus, savannius


Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus ruwenzorii
Four subspecies: ituriensis, ruwenzorii, schoutedeni, vulcanius

 

Myosciurus
One species


African Pigmy Squirrel Myosciurus pumilio
Monotypic


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

Paraxerus
Eleven species, of which three species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Taxonomic note: this genus was formerly combined with Funisciurus (rope squirrels).


Smith's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus cepapi
Ten subspecies are listed in Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the World: bororensis, carpi, cepapi, cepapoides, chobiensis, phalaena, quotus, sindi, soccatus, yulei. Kingdon's Mammals of Africa lists nine subspecies (absent soccatus, which was treated as a synonym of yulei). Various other subspecies have also been listed elsewhere, such as kalaharicus and maunensis.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Zimbabwe (subspecies cepapi)


Smiths Bush Squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari in the wild, Botswana (subspecies chobiensis [the photo is labelled as maunensis which here I treat as a synonym])


Smith's Bush Squirrel, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana, 30/04/16 | ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Zambia (subspecies yulei I think)


Smith's Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi) - ZooChat


Ochre Bush Squirrel Paraxerus ochraceus
Eight subspecies: affinis, animosus, aruscensis, electus, ganana, jacksoni, kahari, ochraceus


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Tanzania (subspecies aruscensis)


Ochre Bush Squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Kenya (subspecies jacksoni)


Ochre Bush Squirrel | ZooChat


Red Bush Squirrel Paraxerus palliatus
Seven subspecies: bridgemani, frerei, ornatus, palliatus, sponsus, swynnertoni, tanae


Photo by @Giant Eland at EndoFaun Zoo (South Africa) (unknown subspecies, but likely to be ornatus which is the one found in South Africa)


red bush squirrel or red-bellied coast squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus) - ZooChat


Photo by @ThylacineAlive in the wild, Kenya (subspecies tanae)


https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/red-bellied-bush-squirrel.675980/


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None of the remaining eight species in the genus are represented in the Zoochat galleries:


Alexander's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus alexandri
Monotypic


Boehm's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus boehmi
Four subspecies: antoniae, boehmi, emini, gazellae


Cooper's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus cooperi
Monotypic


Striped Bush Squirrel Paraxerus flavovittis
Four subspecies: exgeanus, flavovittis, ibeanus, mossambicus


Black and Red Bush Squirrel Paraxerus lucifer
Monotypic


Green Bush Squirrel Paraxerus poensis
Monotypic


Swynnerton's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus vexillarius
Two subspecies: byatti, vexillarius


Vincent's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus vincenti
Monotypic

 

Protoxerus
Two species, neither of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Slender-tailed Squirrel Protoxerus aubinnii
Two subspecies: aubinnii, salae


Stanger's or African Giant Squirrel Protoxerus stangeri
Twelve subspecies: bea, centricola, cooperi, eborivorus, kabobo, kwango, loandae, nigeriae, personatus, signatus, stangeri, temminckii

 

The Tribe Marmotini (Holarctic ground squirrels) has about ninety species in fifteen genera: Ammospermophilus, Callospermophilus, Cynomys, Eutamias, Ictidomys, Marmota, Neotamias, Notocitellus, Otospermophilus, Poliocitellus, Sciurotamias, Spermophilus, Tamias, Urocitellus, Xerospermophilus.

Several of these genera were formerly - and may still be, by various authors - combined, e.g. Eutamias and Neotamias were formerly treated as subgenera of Tamias; and Callospermophilus, Ictidomys, Notocitellus, Otospermophilus, Poliocitellus, Urocitellus and Xerospermophilus were formerly treated as subgenera of Spermophilus. I have separated all these genera below as this is widely accepted now, but if they were to be combined then the Tribe would contain only six genera rather than fifteen. However, genetic studies show that the genera Ammospermophilus (antelope squirrels), Cynomys (prairie dogs) and Marmota (marmots) all nest within Spermophilus (sensu lato) so it cannot be retained as a single genus.

Sometimes the chipmunks (Eutamias, Neotamias, Tamias) and Asian rock squirrels (Sciurotamias) are separated into their own Tribe, Tamiini, although this is not widely followed.

There are fifty-one species from fourteen genera currently depicted in the Zoochat galleries. The only genus not yet represented is Notocitellus.

 

Ammospermophilus
Four species, three of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Harris' Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus harrisii
Two subspecies: harrisii, saxicolus
[Note that in Squirrels of the World by Thorington et al the distributions of the two subspecies have been reversed]


Photo by @Ituri in the wild, Arizona (USA) (subspecies harrisii)


Harris Antelope Squirrel (wild) | ZooChat


Texas Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus interpres
Monotypic


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.


White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus leucurus
Ten subspecies: canfieldiae, cinnamomeus, escalante, extimus, insularis, leucurus, notom, peninsulae, pennipes, tersus

Taxonomic note: the subspecies insularis (the Espiritu Santo Antelope Squirrel) was formerly treated as a full species.


Photo by @Arizona Docent in the wild, Arizona (USA) (subspecies cinnamomeus)


White Tailed Antelope Squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @Ituri in the wild, Idaho (USA) (subspecies leucurus)


White-tailed Antelope Squirrel | ZooChat


San Joaquin or Nelson's Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus nelsoni
Monotypic


Photo by @ThylacineAlive at the California Living Museum (USA)


San Joaquin Antelope Squirrel - ZooChat