Hylopetes sagitta
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Sciuridae
Hylopetes
Hylopetes sagitta

description: 130. Gray-cheeked Flying Squirrel <i>Hylopetes sagitta</i> <b>French:</b> Polatouche a joues grises / <b>German:</b> Grauwangen-Gleithérnchen / <b>Spanish:</b> Ardilla voladora de mejillas grises <b>Other common names:</b> Arrow-tailed Flying Squirrel, Pink-cheeked Flying Squirrel <b>Taxonomy.</b> Sciurus sagitta Linnaeus, 1766, Java, Indonesia. Hylopetes sagitta was previously called H. lepidus named by T. Horsfield in 1822. It also formerly included H. platyurus. More information is needed to clarify the relationship between H. sagitta and H. platyurus. Two subspecies recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> H.s.sagittaLinnaeus,1766—Java. H. s. aurantiacus Wagner, 1841 — Bangka I (off NE Sumatra). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head—body 115-127 mm, tail 91-5-123 mm; weight 38-8-43-3 g. The Gray-cheeked Flying Squirrel is small, similar in size and pelage color to Jentink’s Flying Squirrel (H. platyurus) and the Red-cheeked Flying Squirrel (H. spadiceus). These three species have long been considered taxonomically problematic because of their overlapping characteristics. Recent morphometric studies demonstrate that the three species can be distinguished by multivariate analysis of external measurements and craniodental dimensions, with the Gray-cheeked Flying Squirrel intermediate in size between Jentink’s Flying Squirrel and the Red-cheeked Flying Squirrel. Cheeks and ventral base oftail of the Gray-cheeked Flying Squirrel are pinkish and intermediate in color to the other two species. Jentink’s Flying Squirrel is mostly gray, and the Red-cheeked Flying Squirrel is reddish orange. Tail of the Gray-tailed Flying Squirrel is flattened and broader at base than at tip. Underparts are creamy white, and cheeks are grayish with orange hue. <b>Habitat.</b> There is no information available for this species. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> There is no information available for this species. <b>Breeding.</b> Pregnant females occur in February-March and July-August. Reproduction may be irregular. <b>Activity patterns.</b> There is no specific information available for this species, but the Gray-cheeked Flying Squirrel is nocturnal and arboreal. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> There is no information available for this species. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List (as H. leprdus). Current population trend of the Gray-cheeked Flying Squirrel is unknown. More surveys and basic research on its distribution, population status, and natural history are needed to better understand threats and useful conservation action. <b>Bibliography.</b> Duckworth &amp; Hedges (2008b), Durden &amp; Adams (2005), Ellerman &amp; Morrison-Scott (1955), Horsfield (1822), Jackson (2012), Jackson &amp; Thorington (2012), Medway (1977), Muul &amp; Liat (1971, 1974), Nor (2001), Rasmussen &amp; Thorington (2008), Thorington, Koprowski et al. (2012), Thorington, Musante et al. (1996), Yu Farong et al. (2014).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr &amp; Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, pp. 648-837 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 765, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6840226