198 Tamiops rodolphiihead and nape, and a venter tending toward yellow or
orange.
T. r. elbeli—Chaiyaphum and Khon Kaen provinces, Thai-
land. This form has a bright yellow brown head and
nape, and a distinctive yellowish brown longitudinal
line down the middle of the mid-dorsal black stripe.
conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—stable.
habitat: Little is known about the Cambodian striped
squirrel, but its habitat is thought to be similar to T.
mcclellandii.
natural history: There is not much information about
T. rodolphii, but its behavior is believed to be similar to
T. mcclellandii.
general references: Lekagul and McNeely 1977.
Tamiops swinhoei (Milne-Edwards, 1874)
Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel
description: T. swinhoei is quite variable, but it is generally
larger than the other species in this genus, with a longer and
denser pelage. It diff ers from the neighboring T. mcclellandii
in that its most lateral pale line is broader, less brilliant, and
usually stops at the shoulder rather than being continuous
with the cheek stripe.
size: Female—HB 130.7 mm; T 101.2 mm; Mass 87.9 g.
Male—HB 131.4 mm; T 99.7 mm.
Sex not stated—HB 132.6 mm; T 96.6 mm; Mass 78.0 g.
distribution: This squirrel is found in several Chinese
prov i nces, f rom ex t reme sout hwestern Ga nsu, Sha a n x i, a nd
Henan south through Sichuan and Yunnan, to Tibet, far
northeastern India, northern Myanmar, and northern Viet-
nam, with isolated populations in Hebei and Hunan (China).geographic variation: Four subspecies are recognized.T. s. swinhoei—southern China. This form has a yellow
brown dorsal pelage, with a mid-dorsal stripe broader
than in T. mcclellandii (9–10 mm) and a lateral pale line
that is dull yellow brown and does not connect with the
line on the cheek. The venter is buff y white.
T. s. olivaceus—Vietnam. This form has a much darker back-
ground color on the dorsum.
T. s. spencei—northern Myanmar. This subspecies has very
obscure lateral pale stripes.
T. s. vestitus—northern China. This is a pale version of T. s.
swinhoei, with the lateral lines being much paler than in
the other subspecies.conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—stable.habitat: In the southwestern part of its range, Swinhoe’s
striped squirrel occurs at high elevations (from 2134 to
3048 m), above the altitudinal range of T. mcclellandii. It is
found in broadleaved and coniferous forests, and in scrub
jungles (bushes and tree rhododendrons) that are just below
snowline.Tamiops rodolphii. Photo courtesy Phung my Trung, http://www.vn
creatures.net.