Squirrels of the World

Dremomys pernyi 155

patches behind the ears; and a bright buff y venter with
a rufous patch in the inguinal area and at the base of the
tail.
D. l. motuoensis—southeastern Tibet. This form lacks the
black mid-dorsal stripe of D. l. macmillani, and has a much
darker dorsal and ventral pelage—a darker yellowish
brown dorsally—than the other subspecies.
D. l. nielamuensis—Tibet. This form is smaller than other
subspecies, with a pale olive gray dorsal pelage and a pale
yellow or orange ventral pelage.
D. l. pagus—Lushai Hills of Assam (India) and Chin Hills of
western Myanmar. This form has a pale yellow ventral
pelage with the gray bases of the hairs visible, lacks a
rufous anal patch, and usually lacks a mid-dorsal black
stripe.

conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—decreasing.

habitat: At lower elevations, this species occurs in sub-
tropical forests and oak-rhododendron (Quercus, Rhododen-
dron) forests. At higher elevations, D. lokriah is found in co-
niferous forests.

natural history: The orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel
nests in tree holes that are generally close to the ground.
The nest is made of oak leaves and fern fronds, lined with
grass. This species commonly feeds on insects, fruits (in-
cluding those of mistletoe and Pandanus furcatus), and fallen
nuts and fruits on the ground.

general references: J. Li and Wang 1992.

Dremomys pernyi (Milne-Edwards, 1867)

Perny’s Long-Nosed Squirrel

description: This species has an agouti gray dorsal pel-

age; it lacks a reddish cheek and a reddish hip patch. The

ventral pelage is whitish, with a reddish brown patch in

the perineal region. The ventral surface of the tail is buff y

gray, not red.

size: Female—HB 180.3 mm (n = 30); T 138.8 mm (n = 29);

Mass 150.9 g (n = 7).

Male—HB 186.0 mm (n = 13); T 142.5 mm (n = 22); Mass

173.0 g (n = 10).

Sex not stated—HB 196.0 mm (n = 20); T 155.5 mm (n = 20);

Mass 180.0 g (n = 2).

distribution: This species is found in northeastern India;

northern Myanmar; Tibet and the Chinese provinces of Si-

chuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangxi,

Gansu, southern Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Guangdong,

and Fujian; Taiwan; and northern Vietnam.

geographic variation: Eight subspecies are recognized.

D. p. pernyi—southern Gansu, southern Shaanxi, western

Sichuan, and northwestern Yunnan (China) into western

Dremomys lokriah. Photo courtesy Sudhir Shivaram.