168 Hyosciurus ileileHyosciurus ileile Tate and Archbold, 1936
Lowland Long-Nosed Squirrel
description: The upperparts are dark brown fl ecked with
buff and black. The underparts are dark brownish gray with
a highly variable pattern of cream fur midventrally. The
cream-colored pelage can range from a swath of irregularly
outlined white, running from the neck to the base of the
tail, to patches of cream stripes separated by the background
brown pelage on the chest and inguinal regions. The hair is
reversed on the nape, with a median part of 10 mm. The tail
color is similar to that of the upperparts. H. ileile can be dis-
tinguished from H. heinrichi by H. ileile’s stouter body;
shorter muzzle, ears, and claws; and cream instead of white
underparts. The upperparts of H. ileile tend to be brighter
with more brownish tints, and the fur reversal part on the
nape is also shorter in H. ileile.
size: Sex not stated—HB 213–250 mm; T 70–125 mm; Mass
293–520 g.
distribution: The actual distribution of this squirrel is
unknown, but collection sites show it occurring in the
mountains in the northwestern area of the northern penin-
sula of Sulawesi (Indonesia), as well as in the northern area
of the central core island.
geographic variation: None.
conservation: IUCN status—vulnerable. Population
trend—decreasing.habitat: This squirrel is documented as being found in
lowland evergreen to lower montane tropical rainforests, at
elevations between 168 and 1700 m.natural history: Diurnal and terrestrial, this ground
squirrel is found in less dense distributions than H. hein-
richi. Musser hypothesizes that the disparity in the two
species’ relative densities may be attributed to the lower
density of oak (Quercus) trees—the source of the acorn food
item—in habitats primarily occupied by H. ileile. More
work needs to be done to tease out the relationships be-
tween the distributions of Hyosciurus and its resources.
The vocalizations of the lowland long-nosed squirrel diff er
greatly from those of H. heinrichi. When disturbed, H. ileile
emits growls from deep in its throat, making an “Errr, errr,
grrr” in short bursts. The other documented vocalizations
are emitted in the mornings and afternoons: a high-pitched
“eee-eee” squeal lasting 3–5 seconds, or a single drawn-out
“eee———e” squeal that starts high and drops to silence,
or a quick double “eee, eee” squeal. Musser compares the
squeal to the whine of an unoiled machine. A food test given
to a live-trapped specimen of H. ileile showed that it would
accept and eat large beetle larvae from rotting trunks andHyosciurus ileile. Photo courtesy Guy G. Musser.