Paraxerus cepapi 235the Congo, Uganda, northwestern Tanzania, Rwanda,
Burundi, and northern Zambia. The space between the
dorsal stripes is more olive green white. The ground
color is a more olive green.
P. b. gazellae—eastern Equatoria (Sudan). The body color is
more pale and gray, with shorter dorsal stripes and with
the outer stripes about 2.5 cm long. The underparts are
grayish with little olive infusion.
conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—no information.
habitat: Boehm’s bush squirrel is common in forests dom-
inated by Cynometra t rees, a s wel l a s i n lowla nd, swa mp, a nd
montane forests, at elevations up to 2300 m.
natural history: P. boehmi is a tree squirrel, occasionally
found on the ground, but usually seen low down on tree
trunks and branches. It feeds predominantly on insects
(e.g., ants and caterpillars), as well as on mushrooms, fruits,
and resin. The nest, found in tangles of vines, is built of
twigs and leaves and lined with shredded bark. Courtship
involves a mating chase, and breeding may occur through-
out the year.general references: Kingdon 1974; Rahm and Christi-
aensen 1963.Paraxerus cepapi (A. Smith, 1836)
Smith’s Bush Squirreldescription: Smith’s bush squirrel is a medium-sized yel-
lowish brown squirrel that lacks distinguishing colors or
markings. The dorsal pelage and short limbs are brown, yel-
low brown, or gray; the ventral pelage is gray white with a
yellow or buff coloration on the chest. The pelage color var-
ies geographically. The cheeks are light yellow brown, and
the face features white stripes above and below the eyes.
The long bushy tail is grizzled black and yellowish brown.size: Female—HB 226.6 mm (n = 9); T 183.7 mm (n = 7).
Male—HB 228.2 mm (n = 9); T 180.5 mm (n = 8); Mass
243.0 g (n = 1).
Sex not stated—HB 238.5 mm (n = 2); T 200.0 mm (n = 2).Paraxerus boehmi. Photo courtesy Marcell Claassen.