Squirrels of the World

Tamiops rodolphii 197

nam, Cambodia, and south through Thailand to peninsular
Malaysia.

geographic variation: Six subspecies are recognized.

T. m. mcclellandii—northeastern India and northern Myan-
mar. It has a mid-dorsal black stripe (4 mm wide) extend-
ing from the nape to the rump; lateral dark lines extend-
ing from the shoulders to the rump; and, lateral to these,
pale lines that are strongly colored yellow buff and pass
from the rostrum to below the eyes and ears to the rump.
The ventral coloration is buff , without any trace of red.
T. m. barbei—southern Myanmar. This form is reddish or
reddish orange dorsally, and cinnamon rufous or ferru-
ginous ventrally.
T. m. collinus—northeastern Thailand, neighboring Myan-
mar, Laos, Cambodia, and southern China. This form is
more strongly striped than T. m. mcclellandii or T. m. in-
constans, less red than T. m. barbei, darker dorsally than T.
m. kongensis, and more orange and less yellow ventrally
than T. m. leucotis.
T. m. inconstans—extreme northern Vietnam and adjoining
China. This form is inconspicuously striped dorsally,
and yellowish buff y or light orange ventrally.
T. m. kongensis—western and northern Thailand. This sub-
species resembles a pallid form of T. m. barbei. It is gener-
ally light gray, rather than the reddish orange or yellow-
ish coloration of T. m. leucotis, with the dorsal pale lines
being pale buff y yellow and the venter being ochraceous
buff.
T. m. leucotis—southern peninsular Thailand and peninsu-
lar Malaysia. This form lacks the general reddish color-
ation of T. m. barbei dorsally, and it is more yellowish
ventrally.

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

habitat: Himalayan striped squirrels live in tall trees in
tropical or subtropical forests, but they may also be found in
fruit trees in the vicinity of villages and in coconut planta-
tions. On the Malay Peninsula this species tends to be a
montane form. Farther north, it may be found at lower ele-
vations. In China it is found at elevations above 700 m but
below the altitudinal range of T. swinhoei.

natural history: T. mcclellandii is a highly arboreal squir-
rel, seldom coming to the ground. It alternates quick dashes
with motionless periods, usually with its tail straight out
behind it. When frightened, it assumes a motionless posi-
tion, with the head, body, and tail fl attened out against a

tree trunk. This species is commonly seen in pairs or in

small groups. In some areas it is very common, although

cryptic. It feeds on insects, fruits, and other vegetable mat-

t er. It shelt er s i n t re e hole s. It s vo c a l i zat ion i s a h a r sh “ch ick ”

call.

general references: Blyth 1847; Bonhote and Skeat 1900;

Moore 1958b; Thomas 1920.

Tamiops rodolphii (Milne-Edwards, 1867)

Cambodian Striped Squirrel

description: The Cambodian striped squirrel has the mid-

dorsal black stripe divided by a longitudinal thin pale brown

stripe. The two more lateral pale lines are equally wide, and

neither is paler than the other.

size: Female—HB 117.7 mm; T 107.9 mm.

Male—HB 117.4 mm; T 111.1 mm.

Sex not stated: HB 119.5 mm; T 122.0 mm; Mass 56.0 g.

distribution: This squirrel can be found in eastern Thai-

land, Cambodia, southern Laos, and southern Vietnam.

geographic variation: Two subspecies are recognized:

T. r. rodolphii—southeastern Thailand, Cambodia, southern

Laos, and southern Vietnam. This form has a dull brown