188 Sundasciurus juvencushabitat: S. juvencus is found in primary and secondary
lowland forests.
natural history: No information is available.
general references: Heaney, Balete, et al. 1998.
Sundasciurus lowii (Thomas, 1892)
Low’s Squirrel
description: S. lowii is distinguished from S. tenuis by its
creamy white underparts and proportionately shorter tail.
The upperparts are speckled brown; the underparts are
buff y white, sometimes with a reddish tinge. The pale red-
dish buff ring around each eye is rarely obvious from a dis-
tance, and the tail is short and bushy.
size: Female—HB 137.5 mm; T 88.8 mm; Mass 76.4 g.
Male—HB 143.9 mm; T 92.9 mm; Mass 78.7 g.
Sex not stated—HB 130.2 mm; T 82.7 mm; Mass 83.5 g.
distribution: This species is found on the Malay Penin-
sula, Sumatra (Indonesia), the island of Borneo (divided
among Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Indonesia), and
adjacent small islands.
geographic variation: Seven subspecies are recognized.
S. l. lowii—island of Borneo (divided among Malaysia, Bru-
nei Darussalam, and Indonesia). See description above.
S. l. balae—Batu Islands (Indonesia). The underparts are
nearly white.
S. l. bangueyae—Banggi Island (Malaysia, slightly north of
the island of Borneo). The general color tends toward
dark greenish olivaceous. The light rings on the hairs are
buff y instead of ochraceous.
S. l. humilis—East Sumatra (Indonesia). This subspecies is
similar in size and color to S. l. seimundi, but it has a
darker general color.
S. l. natunensis—Natuna Islands (Indonesia). This form is
smaller, with shorter feet and longer ears. The general
color is grizzled rufous. The venter is white with a strong
rufous wash. The anteorbital spots are rufous, not yel-
low; and the black patch behind the ear is absent. It
should be noted that the type skin was prepared from a
specimen preserved in alcohol, and O. Thomas cau-
tioned that the color might have been reddened, as cer-
tain types of yellow turn red when introduced to an al-
cohol preparation.
S. l. robinsoni—Malay Peninsula (peninsular Thailand and
peninsular Malaysia). This form is similar to S. l. lowii,
but smaller.
S. l. seimundi—t he t y pe loca l it y is Bl ia h, Kundur Isla nd, R hio
[= Riau] Archipelago (Indonesia). This form is similar to
S. l. robinsoni, but the dark dorsal color expands down-
ward on the fl anks, narrowing the white ventral area.Sundasciurus juvencus, white morph. Photo courtesy Pierre
Fidenci, Endangered Species International.