7.

Indian Palm Squirrel

Funambulus palmarum

French: Ecureuil palmiste / German: Dreistreifen-Palmenhérchen / Spanish: Ardilla de palma de India

Other common names: Common Palm Squirrel, Three-striped Palm Squirrel

Taxonomy. Sciurus palmarum Linnaeus, 1766,

“in America, Asia, Africa.”

Restricted by R. C. Wroughton in 1905 to “E coast of Madras,” India.

Three subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

FE p. palmarum Linnaeus, 1766 — W & S India, up to approximately 16° N latitude.

E p. brodiei Blyth, 1849 — Sri Lanka.

FE p. robertsoni Wroughton, 1916 — E India, in the zone between the latitudes 20° N and 24° N.

The subspecific affinity of northern populationsis unclear but likely robertson.

Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 149 mm (males) and 147 mm (females), tail mean 148 mm (males) and 158 mm (females); weight mean 117-5 g (males) and 99-2 g (females). Dorsum of the Indian Palm Squirrel can be gray to brown, with three longitudinal stripes. Middle dorsal stripe and venter are pale buffy and tail has a red mid-ventral stripe. Pelage of

subspecies palmarum is grayer in the northern part of its distribution and darker in the southern part. Subspecies brodiei is more colorful than other subspecies and lateral stripes are more orange, pelage is darker in the Sri Lankan highlands. Subspecies robertsoni is smallest of the subspecies and lacks any brown coloration. Chromosome number is 2n = 46; FN is unknown.

Habitat. Deciduous forests at elevations up to ¢.1370 m. In some areas, the Indian Palm Squirrel approaches human environments and replaces the Northern Palm Squirrel (FE pennantii). In India,it can be found in deciduous rainforests throughout almost all of the Western Ghats, but not in wet evergreen forests. On the outskirts of the Western Ghats, the Indian Palm Squirrel occurs on hills up to elevations of ¢.1250 m, but in the Deccan Plain it is replaced by the Northern Palm Squirrel in elevations below ¢.549 m.

Food and Feeding. Diet of The Indian Palm Squirrel consists of nuts, fruits, buds, young shoots, nectar, lichen, bark, and insects. Diversity of consumed plant speciesis high, reaching 50 different species as observed in Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu, India). Bark searching is a frequent activity, probably to feed on insects. It also consumes tree nectar and may be a pollinator of these trees, such as the silk cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra, Malvaceae).

Breeding. Little is known about the breeding habits of the Indian Palm Squirrel, but reproduction in Sri Lanka occurs year-round, with a peak November—April. Litter size usually is 2-3 young. Infanticide followed by cannibalism is also recorded.

Activity patterns. Limited information is available for this species, but the Indian Palm Squirrel is diurnal and semi-arboreal. It builds a globular nest in branches, very similar to nests of passerine birds.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Indian Palm Squirrelis widely distributed, and has a presumed large population, which is likely to be increasing. There are no major threats to the Indian Palm Squirrel, although habitat loss and degradation due to agro-industry farming, small-scale logging and expansion of human settlements occur, and it is hunted for local consumption and kept as pets.

Bibliography. Edirisinghe & Sudasinghe (2012), Hayssen et al. (1993), Johnsingh & Manjrekar (2015), Jordan et al. (2005f), Nadler & Hoffman (1970), Nameer & Molur (2008a), Thorington et al. (2012), Wroughton (1905).