25.

Maritime Striped Squirrel

Tamiops maritimus

French: Ecureuil maritime / German: Kiisten-Zwergstreifenhérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla rayada maritima

Taxonomy. Sciurus macclellandii maritimus Bonhote, 1900,

“Foochow, province of

Fokien,”

(Fukien, China).

Four subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

T. m. maritimus Bonhote,1900 — coastal regions of SE China and Taiwan.

T. m. hainanus J. A. Allen, 1906 — Hainan, N Vietnam, and Laos.

T. m. moi Robinson & Kloss, 1922 — S Vietnam.

T. m. monticolus Bonhote, 1900 — SE China, in the montane regions W of the range of T. m. maritimus.

Descriptive notes. Head—body mean 119 mm (males) and 121 mm (females), tail mean 101 mm (males) and 102 mm (females); weight mean 54-5 g (males) and 56-5 g (females). General pelage of the Maritime Striped Squirrel is more olivaceous than that of other species of Tamiops. Pale stripes near black mid-dorsal stripe have same color as nape, and venteris buffy. Subspecies maritimus has grayer and more uniform pelage than the Himalayan Striped Squirrel (7. mecclellandii), with shorter stripes, a more discrete mid-dorsalstripe, and more narrow dull white lateral stripes. Subspecies

hainanus is very similar to maritimus, but a little bit larger. Subspecies moiis similar to hainanus, butis slightly larger and with redder lateral stripes. Subspecies monticolus has very distinctive stripes that extend to base oftail. Pale lateral stripes are broad.

Habitat. Broadleaved evergreen forests and mixed mesophytic forests. In Continental areas, the Maritime Striped Squirrel occurs at low elevations, but in Taiwan it occurs at elevations of ¢.2000-3000 m.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Maritime Striped Squirrel is probably similar to that of the Himalayan Striped Squirrel, composed of fruits, seeds, insects, and nectar. It is a nectar thief of ginger flowers (Alpinia kwangsiensis, Zingiberaceae), biting base of flower to get nectaries without pollinating the flower.

Breeding. Female Maritime Striped Squirrels have three pairs of teats, one pectoral and two inguinal. Average litter size is about three young.

Activity patterns. The Maritime Striped Squirrel is arboreal, using the canopy and understory of the forest, but descends occasionally to the herbaceous level to feed on nectar of ginger flowers. Its vocalization is described as a cluck or a short chirrup.

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 Maritime Striped Squirrel is widespread and very abundant throughout its distribution in a variety of habitats, including heavily degraded areas. There are currently no major threats.

Bibliography. Allen (1906b), Duckworth & Lunde (2008b), Hayssen (2008c), Robinson & Kloss (1922), Thor ington et al. (2012).