144 Callosciurus melanogasterpredominantly on fruits and young leaves, but 25 percent of
the observations involved bark eating. The stomach con-
tents of three animals contained 35 percent vegetable matter
and 62 percent animal matter (mostly arthropods).
general references: Chasen and Kloss 1927; G. S. Miller
1903; Thomas 1895; Whitten 1981.
Callosciurus nigrovittatus (Horsfi eld, 1823)
Black-Striped Squirrel
description: This species is a gray-bellied squirrel, with
a buff stripe superimposed on a black stripe along each
fl ank, a grizzled black and buff y dorsum, and more buff y
shoulders.
size: Female—HB 186.9 mm (n = 12); T 165.5 mm (n = 2);
Mass 239.4 g (n = 7).
Male—HB 184.3 mm (n = 11); T 159.2 mm (n = 5); Mass
202.8 g (n = 7).
Sex not stated—HB 199.0 mm (n = 6); T 182.5 (n = 6); Mass
218.6 g (n = 7).
distribution: This species is found in peninsular Thai-
land; peninsular Malaysia; and Sumatra, Java, and adjacent
small islands (Indonesia).
geographic variation: Four subspecies are recognized.C. n. nigrovittatus—Java (Indonesia). This form has an ob-
scure buff lateral line.
C. n. bilimitatus—Malay Peninsula (Thailand and Malaysia)
and Tioman Island (Malaysia). This form has a sharply
delineated buff line.
C. n. bocki—hig h la nds of Sumat ra ( Indonesia). This form has
a bright and clearly delineated buff lateral line, and some
animals have a pale patch behind the ear.
C. n. klossi—Saddle Island, west of Kalimantan (Indonesia).
This form is “blue-bellied,” similar to C. orestes, but it is
not as brightly colored and lacks a pale patch behind the
ear.conservation: IUCN status—near threatened. Population
trend—decreasing.habitat: In Malaysia, this species is an arboreal squirrel of
the canopy and undercanopy of primary and secondary for-
ests. In the Krau Wildlife Reserve (Pahang, Malaysia), C.
nigrovittatus is 25 percent as common as C. notatus (13 indi-
viduals versus 53 individuals live trapped, respectively). It is
approximately twice as common in disturbed areas as in
places that are less disturbed by humans.natural history: At the Krau Wildlife Reserve (Pahang,
Malaysia), the estimated population density of C. nigrovitta-
tus is 5 individuals/100 ha. In the Ulu Gombak Forest Re-
serve (Selangor, Malaysia), a single female had a home range
estimated, in two diff erent ways, to be 1.4 or 2.0 ha. This
species’ diet includes fruits and a signifi cant proportion of
insects. The leaf nest is similar to that of the gray-belliedCallosciurus nigrovittatus. Photo courtesy Nick Baker, www
.ecologyasia.com.