234 Paraxerus alexandrinatural history: This small squirrel forages singly or in
pairs, principally on tree trunks. It feeds on insects, vegeta-
ble matter, and occasionally on resin.
general references: Grubb 2008; Kingdon 1974; Leirs
et al. 1999.
Paraxerus boehmi (Reichenow, 1886)
Boehm’s Bush Squirrel
description: P. boehmi is a small striped squirrel, with four
black stripes on the back. The middle two are divided by a
mid-dorsal yellowish to greenish russet stripe, and they are
separated from the lateral stripes by dorsolateral white to
yellowish stripes on a reddish to yellowish background.
There is no white on the backs of the ears. The eyes are sur-
rounded by a brownish gold ring. There is a black stripe
from the nose through the eye to the ear, bordered by pale
brownish gold. The tail is greenish yellow brown mixed
with black. The long hairs of the tail tip are black with small
golden brown rings. P. boehmi is similar in size and color to
Funisciurus congicus.size: Female—HB 129.6 mm; T 146.0 mm; Mass 74.8 g.
Male—HB 124.6 mm; T 135.6 mm; Mass 70.5 g.
Sex not stated—HB 129.8 mm; T 138.1 mm; Mass 60 g.distribution: This squirrel is found in Sudan, northern and
eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda,
Burundi, northwestern Tanzania, and northern Zambia.geographic variation: Four subspecies are recognized.P. b. boehmi—Marungu (southern Democratic Republic of
the Congo). The upper side is olive intermixed with
black. Single hairs are grayish black at the base and have
olive gold brownish bands at their tips. Of the three light
stripes along the length of the back, the two outer ones
are whitish, and the midstripe is olive gold brown; all
three are bordered by black stripes. The underbody and
the insides of the arms and thighs are yellowish white.
The throat region is a pale yellow, while the chin area is
a rust yellow.
P. b. antoniae—small area above Stanley Falls (Democratic
Republic of the Congo). The general ground color is pale
greenish yellow. The median pale stripe is more yellow-
ish; the outer two pale stripes are more yellowish white
and run only halfway along the body, from the loins.
The underparts are washed with a bright yellowish buff.
P. b. emini—northern and eastern Democratic Republic ofParaxerus alexandri. Photo courtesy Nik Borrow.