Microsciurus flaviventer
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
Microsciurus
Microsciurus flaviventer

description: 108. Amazon Dwarf Squirrel <i>Microsciurus flaviventer</i> <b>French:</b> Ecureuil dAmazonie / <b>German:</b> Amazonas-Zwerghdrnchen / <b>Spanish:</b> Ardilla enana del Amazonas <b>Other common names:</b> Choco Dwarf Squirrel (similis), Sabanilla Dwarf Squirrel (sabanillae), Simon's Dwarf Squirrel (simonsi), White-eared Dwarf Squirrel (otinus) <b>Taxonomy.</b> Macroxus flaviventer Gray, 1867, “Brazil.” Subspecies are difficult to distinguish, and the genus Microsciurus needs contemporary assessment. Eight subspecies recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> M.f.flaviventerGray,1867—WBrazil. M.f.napiThomas,1900—SColombiaandEcuador,EoftheAndes. M.f.otinusThomas,1901—C&amp;NColombiaMts. M.f.peruanus].A.Allen,1897—NWPeru. M.f.rubrirostrisJ.A.Allen,1914—CPeru. M.f.sabanillaeAnthony,1922—EAndeanslopeinEcuadorandadjacentNWPeru. M.f.similisNelson,1899—WColombia. M. f. simonsi Thomas, 1900 — C Ecuador W of the Andes. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 120-160 mm, tail 96-150 mm; weight 60-128 g. The Amazon Dwarf Squirrel has dark brown dorsum, with suffusion of red to olive. Postauricular patch is pale yellow. Venter is gray, washed with orange or occasionally deep orange. Tail is grizzled brown to black, with slight frosting of gray. Subspecies otinus, sabanillae, and similis most often lack postauricular patches. Subspecies ofinus has distinctive white-tipped ears. <b>Habitat.</b> Upper Amazonian evergreen tropical rainforests at elevations less than ¢.2000 m. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Amazon Dwarf Squirrels forage on the ground for seeds,fruits, insects, and other arthropods in all levels of multistoried canopies; they are most often below 10 m. They feed while squatting on logs or tree stumps. Amazon Dwarf Squirrels make use of the smallest of trees and also explore the largest tree trunks in frantic fashion. In an interesting mutualism, Amazon DwarfSquirrels follow mixed flocks of foraging insectivorous birds each morning and glean insects dislodged by the flurry of birds and squirrels. Amazon Dwarf Squirrels gnaw on and scrape tree branches and trunks, apparently to extract exudates; they actively drag their incisors across tree woundsto collect gum and sap. <b>Breeding.</b> Dreys of Amazon Dwarf Squirrels are composed of woven leaves lined with fibers and located in palm trees. Amazon Dwarf Squirrels are sometimes observed in pairs. Litter size has been reported to be two young. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Amazon Dwarf Squirrels are diurnal. They rarely use tree falls, gaps, or liana forests, but they are common in high forests, usually foraging at heights of 1-5 m and can be seen foraging for insects with mixed flocks of birds up to 10 m in the canopy. <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. Population trend of the Amazon Dwarf Squirrel is unknown. Lack of information on ecology, natural history, or threats likely impedes conservation and management. <b>Bibliography.</b> Allen (1914c, 1915b), Buitron-Jurado &amp; Tobar (2007), Emmons (1990), Haugaasen &amp; Peres (2005), Mena-Valenzuela (1998), Thorington et al. (2012), de Vivo &amp; Carmignotto (2015), Youlatos (1999).
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 757, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6840226