Tupaia minor Ginther 1876
Creators: name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Wilson, Don E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Scandentia
Tupaiidae
Tupaia
Tupaia minor

description: 5. Lesser Treeshrew <i>Tupaia minor</i> <b>French:</b> Toupaye nain / <b>German:</b> Zwergspitzhornchen / <b>Spanish:</b> Tupaya menor <b>Other common names:</b> Pygmy Treeshrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Tupaia minor Ginther, 1876, “mainland Borneo, opposite Labuan [Island],” Malaysia. Four subspecies are recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> T.m.minorGunther,1876—BorneoandnearbyBanggiandBelambanganaIsandprobablyLautI. T.m.humeralisH.C.Robinson&amp;Kloss,1919—Sumatra. T. m. malaccana|. Anderson, 1879 — Malay Peninsula. T" m. sincypis Lyon, 1911 — Singkep I (Lingga Archipelago). Also present on some islands off the E coast of Sumatra, but subspecies involved not known. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body length 110-140 mm, tail 135-175 mm, ear 8-14 mm, hindfoot 29-33 mm; weight 35-80 g (although most specimens are 35-50 g). The Lesser Treeshrew is the smallest tupaiid and looks remarkably similar to the Slender Treeshrew (7 gracilis). Fur of the Lesser Treeshrew is almost invariably light brown, with some subspecies having darker colored tails (particularly nominate minor). Light brown color is nearly uniform across the body, and venteris ivory to tan. Tail is long. It has grasping feet and curved claws. Skulls is small, and rostrum is short. Shoulder marking is ivory and distinct. <b>Habitat.</b> [.owland, monsoonal evergreen, peat swamp, mixed dipterocarp forests and plantations up to elevations of ¢.1700 m. The Lesser Treeshrew is considered common but known to have localized population crashes, following logging activities; it rebounds after vines return to the trees. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Lesser Treeshrew is a generalist, foraging on fruit and insects. It has been observed to repeatedly visit fruit trees, with bouts of resting between foraging, and is also known to forage along lianas and search among living and dead leaves for invertebrates. It forages on Ficus (Moraceae), Parthenocissus (Vitaceae), and Myrsinaceae fruit trees. It has also been observed foraging with mixed flocks of birds that catch insects displaced by movements of the treeshrews. <b>Breeding.</b> The Lesser Treeshrew appears to have two offspring per litter, with an occasional singleton. Pregnant females have been trapped in September and May in Danum Valley, Sabah, northern Borneo. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Lesser Treeshrews are diurnal and strictly arboreal, but they are trappable on ground, likely drawn by bait. They are active throughout the day, promptly leaving nests early in the morning at daylight and returning to a sleep site at sunset. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> L.. H. Emmons in 2000 found eleven nests of Lesser Treeshrews, and eight were high in living emergent trees (more than 15 m off the forest floor). Several of these sites had visible holes in trunks of trees; others had apparent entrances covered by vines and root. The other three nests were lower (10 m or less off the forest floor) and similarly surrounded by vines, with one found on a vine enclosed stump. Nests were constructed primarily of leaves. The Lesser Treeshrew has a very small home range, the smallest of all treeshrew species followed by L.. H. Emmons, averaging 1-5 ha (not including vertical space). In addition to the small home size, the Lesser Treeshrew had the slowest rate of movement at 83 m/hour and ranged an average of 871 m/day. A male and female occupy nearly identical home ranges and appear territorial to other adults. Adults that share home ranges often interact (3-4 times/day) and often foraged together. Scent marking appears to play a large role in site avoidance. A Lesser Treeshrew was observed with another conspecific more frequently (27% of observations) than other treeshrew species (8-14% of observations). <b>Status and Conservation.</b> CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Nevertheless, the Lesser Treeshrew has a decreasing population trend. It is tolerant of some human activity, but it is unknown if it can survive in palm oil plantations, which are a major conservation threat in lowland areas of South-east Asia. <b>Bibliography.</b> Cassola (2016a), Emmons (2000), Helgen (2005).
description: Published as part of <i>Russell A. Mittermeier &amp; Don E. Wilson, 2018, Tupaiidae, pp. 242-269 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 264, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6779158