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Distribution, status and ecology of the mainland slender‐tailed treeshrew Dendrogale murina
Abstract
1. The few historical records of Dendrogale murina are from southern Vietnam, South-east Thailand and probably Cambodia. Recent records extend its range considerably further north in Vietnam, into Laos, and provide the first certain Cambodian localities. Its occurrence within its range is patchy, and while in some areas (Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam, and a part of Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia) it is clearly common, elsewhere records are infrequent. Dendrogale murina seems to be relatively easy to observe, so the documented range for Laos, Vietnam and Thailand probably approximates to the real range. Cambodia has not been surveyed extensively enough to propose a provisional distribution.
2. There is no obvious ecological correlate of species occurrence: most sites have extensive bamboo, but various other similar sites surveyed within its range lack records. Most records come from evergreen forest (at varying stages of degradation) but D. murina has also been found in mixed deciduous forest, extensive secondary bamboo lacking any dicotyledonous canopy, and in streamside tangles amid rocky savannah. Records range from the plains up to 1500 m altitude.
3. The species mainly uses the under- and mid-storeys, but also enters the canopy. It is active at least throughout the daylight hours; nocturnal activity has not been assessed. Although the ecological needs are poorly understood, there is no reason to believe that D. murina is at any special risk and it is unlikely to meet any IUCN global threat criteria.
... Dendrogale murina is one of two recognized species in the genus (figure 2a). It has a wide distribution throughout Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia [19] in contrast to its congener (D. melanura), which is endemic to montane Borneo [20]. It is also more flexible ecologically, with records ranging from lowland plains to 1500 m across a wide range of habitat conditions, from evergreen forest (at varying stages of degradation), to mixed deciduous forest, to secondary bamboo fields lacking any dicotyledonous canopy, to streamside tangles in rocky savannah [19]. ...
... It has a wide distribution throughout Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia [19] in contrast to its congener (D. melanura), which is endemic to montane Borneo [20]. It is also more flexible ecologically, with records ranging from lowland plains to 1500 m across a wide range of habitat conditions, from evergreen forest (at varying stages of degradation), to mixed deciduous forest, to secondary bamboo fields lacking any dicotyledonous canopy, to streamside tangles in rocky savannah [19]. It not only uses the under-and mid-storeys, but also enters the canopy; recent observations come primarily from understorey tangles, especially of bamboo, almost exclusively 30-300 cm above ground level [19]. ...
... It is also more flexible ecologically, with records ranging from lowland plains to 1500 m across a wide range of habitat conditions, from evergreen forest (at varying stages of degradation), to mixed deciduous forest, to secondary bamboo fields lacking any dicotyledonous canopy, to streamside tangles in rocky savannah [19]. It not only uses the under-and mid-storeys, but also enters the canopy; recent observations come primarily from understorey tangles, especially of bamboo, almost exclusively 30-300 cm above ground level [19]. In Thailand, it has been observed on the branches of fruiting trees [19]. ...
Treeshrews are small, squirrel-like mammals in the order Scandentia, which is nested together with Primates and Dermoptera in the superordinal group Euarchonta. They are often described as living fossils, and researchers have long turned to treeshrews as a model or ecological analogue for ancestral primates. A comparative study of colour vision-encoding genes within Scandentia found a derived amino acid substitution in the long-wavelength sensitive opsin gene (OPN1LW) of the Bornean smooth-tailed treeshrew (Dendrogale melanura). The opsin, by inference, is red-shifted by ca 6 nm with an inferred peak sensitivity of 561 nm. It is tempting to view this trait as a novel visual adaptation; however, the genetic and functional diversity of visual pigments in treeshrews is unresolved outside of Borneo. Here, we report gene sequences from the northern smooth-tailed treeshrew (Dendrogale murina) and the Mindanao treeshrew (Tupaia everetti, the senior synonym of Urogale everetti). We found that the opsin genes are under purifying selection and that D. murina shares the same substitution as its congener, a result that distinguishes Dendrogale from other treeshrews, including T. everetti. We discuss the implications of opsin functional variation in light of limited knowledge about the visual ecology of smooth-tailed treeshrews.
... Мышиную тупайу чаще всего встречают во Вьетнаме, где зверь распространен от 16 паралле ли на юг до дельты Меконга (Timmins at al., 2003;Кузнецов, 2006). По побережью Сиамского зали ва ареал мышиной тупайи доходит на запад до прилегающих к Камбодже провинций Таиланда. ...
... В желудках нахо дили остатки жуков (Davis, 1938). Известно также о поедании муравьев (Timmins et al., 2003). Вскрывая нижними резцами прогнившие колена бамбука и стебли злаков, расщепляя трухлявую древесину, достают членистоногих, спрятавших ся там. ...
... При перемещении от одной куртины до другой (если нет необходимости обследовать почву) тупайи стараются прыгать с камня на камень или по ос нованиям стволиков низких деревьев или пере мещаются по корням и упавшим на землю вет кам. Перемещаясь по земле, делают прыжки дли ной около 20 см; перемещаясь по камням, прыгают на расстояние 30-40 см; собираясь сде лать более длинный прыжок (с одной опоры на другую), тщательно выбирают точку приземле ния; мы наблюдали прыжок длиной 55 см, извест ны и прыжки до 70 см длиной (Timmins et al., 2003). ...
The main features of ecology and behavior of the slender-tailed tree-shrew based on the observations in southern Vietnam, at the Cat Tien National Park (11°25' N, 107°25' E) are described. Slender-tailed treeshrews inhabit parts of forests, where bamboo or rattans grow, abandoned gardens and fields overgrowing with tall grasses and bamboo. They consume insects and spiders found on the ground surface and in leaf piles, seek invertebrates inside rotten trunks. Tree-shrews trace birds and catch disturbed prey; sometimes, they try to steal food caught by birds. Usually, these shrews build individual nests with dry leaves for night rest at open places without any shelters. During the period of observations (November - June), tree-shrews were found in pairs at small (-0.5 ha) territories. The animals in pairs maintained visual or acoustic contacts with each other. They designated territories by cries and odor marks that were left on bamboo stems or rattan lianas. Several territorial conflicts were observed. Copulations took place in February - March, young animals occurred in March - April. In spite of the active use of the ground surface, the slender-tailed tree-shrew has locomotion typical for an arboreal animal, in contrast to the majority of representatives of the Tupaiidae family.
... mya (Butler 1980, Luckett 1980, Olson et al. 2004, 2005, Roberts et al. 2011). More particularly, the Northern smooth-tailed treeshrew Dendrogale murina (Schlegel and Muller, 1843) is a small (45 g) diurnal treeshrew using the ground and the understory of forests, bushes, savannas and bamboo thickets (Lekagul and McNeely 1977, Timmins et al. 2003, Kvartalnov 2009). The species forages for arthropods at heights ~5 m and in the forest litter, and rarely feeds on fruit or other plant material (Davis 1938, Kvartalnov 2009). ...
... The species forages for arthropods at heights ~5 m and in the forest litter, and rarely feeds on fruit or other plant material (Davis 1938, Kvartalnov 2009). On the ground, the animals run, bound and jump between roots and rocks (Kloss 1916, Kvartalnov 2009), whereas on the trees they clamber, climb, and jump between branch and bamboo entanglements (Timmins et al. 2003, Kvartalnov 2009). These behaviors suggest that Northern smoothtailed treeshrews would be capable of hallucal grasping, but to what extent is unknown. ...
... Habitual inversion and a semiplantigrade foot position accommodate a firm hold of the foot on variably oriented slender substrates. Similar substrates abound in entanglements of twigs and bamboo stems, in the understories of forests, bushes, savannas and bamboo thickets, which are frequently exploited by Northern smooth-tailed treeshrews (Lekagul and McNeely 1977, Timmins et al. 2003, Kvartalnov 2009). More proximally, the long tibial crest, the long lesser and the shorter greater femoral trochanters, and the spatulate ilium, in association with the well-developed mm. ...
Pedal grasping evolution in euarchontan mammals is of great importance as it bears on the adaptive significance of specialized hallucal grasping and arboreal niche use related to the group differentiation. Basally divergent arboreal tupaiid treeshrews are very suitable for testing pedal grasping modes and associated substrate correlates and provide insights on euarchontan pedal evolution. For these purposes we filmed wild-caught Dendrogale murina from Vietnam and analyzed their foot mechanisms. Our observations showed that hallucal grasp was moderately used and was mainly associated with small and horizontal substrates. Convergent grasp was frequently used on medium-sized and horizontal substrates whereas claws were related to large and vertical substrates. In addition, the foot was frequently inverted and mainly placed in a semiplantigrade position. Inversion and semiplantigrady dominated on small, medium-sized and horizontal substrates but decreased on larger substrates with increased inclinations. The observed pedal mechanism probably represents a derived condition, where hallucal grasping tends to become slightly restrained, compared to the primitive euarchontan (and scandentian) pedal grasping mechanism. Furthermore, it hallmarks an early stage in tupaiid evolution towards a more constrained pedal grasping. This further substantiates pedal grasping plasticity within euarchontan mammals and highlights the strong relation between a hallucal grasping mechanism and the frequent and primary use of small slender substrates.
... В желудках нахоо дили остатки жуков (Davis, 1938). Известно также о поедании муравьев ( Timmins et al., 2003). Вскрывая нижними резцами прогнившие колена бамбука и стебли злаков, расщепляя трухлявую древесину, достают членистоногих, спрятавшихх ся там. ...
... При перемещении от одной куртины до другой (если нет необходимости обследовать почву) тупайи стараются прыгать с камня на камень или по осс нованиям стволиков низких деревьев или перее мещаются по корням и упавшим на землю ветт кам. Перемещаясь по земле, делают прыжки длии ной около 20 см; перемещаясь по камням, прыгают на расстояние 30-40 см; собираясь сдее лать более длинный прыжок (с одной опоры на другую), тщательно выбирают точку приземлее ния; мы наблюдали прыжок длиной 55 см, известт ны и прыжки до 70 см длиной ( Timmins et al., 2003 Кустарницы живут группами, которые во внее гнездовой сезон могут объединяться в более крупные стаи. Кормясь на земле, птицы держатся плотно друг к другу. ...
... При испуге и тревоге издают громкое, резкое "циттциттциттциттцит…". Отмечают, что крик туу пайи похож на голос полосатой белки Tamiops ( Timmins et al., 2003). Мы наблюдали, как мышии ная тупайа и белка T. rodolphii перекликались при беспокойстве. ...
ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF THE SLENDER-TAILED TREE-SHREW (DENDROGALE MURINA, SCANDENTIA). P.V. Kvartalnov. The main features of ecology and behavior of the slender-tailed tree-shrew based on the observations in
southern Vietnam, at the Cat Tien National Park (11°25′ N, 107°25′ E) are described. Slender-tailed tree-shrews inhabit parts of forests, where bamboo or rattans grow, abandoned gardens and fields overgrowing with tall grasses and bamboo. They consume insects and spiders found on the ground surface and in leaf piles, seek invertebrates inside rotten trunks. Tree-shrews trace birds and catch disturbed prey; sometimes, they try to steal food caught by birds. Usually, these shrews build individual nests with dry leaves for night rest at open places without any shelters. During the period of observations (November – June), tree-shrews were found in pairs at small (~0.5 ha) territories. The animals in pairs maintained visual or acoustic contacts with each other. They designated territories by cries and odor marks that were left on bamboo stems or rattan lianas. Several territorial conflicts were observed. Copulations took place in February – March, young animals occurred in March – April. In spite of the active use of the ground surface, the slender-tailed tree-shrew has locomotion typical for an arboreal animal, in contrast to the majority of representatives of the Tupaiidae family.
... The genus Dendrogale is represented by two species: northern smooth-tailed treeshrew D. murina Schlegel and Müller, 1843, and Bornean smooth-tailed treeshrew D. melanura Thomas, 1892, both of which are extremely poorly studied species. D. murina is distributed from Eastern Thailand through Cambodia and southeast Laos to Southern and Central Vietnam [14,15]. The species everywhere is rare or is highly localized in occurrences that are reflected in the scarcity of both ecological and genetic information on the species. ...
... The species everywhere is rare or is highly localized in occurrences that are reflected in the scarcity of both ecological and genetic information on the species. Limited biological sampling of the species might be interpreted as evidence of genuine rarity [14]. Hawkins [16] and Francis [17] summarized some data on the ecology and natural history of D. murina, whereas the genetic data is still scarce. ...
In this paper, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of the northern smooth-tailed treeshrew Dendrogale murina, which was sequenced for the first time using the Illumina next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. The total length of the mitochondrial genome is 16,844-16,850 bp and encodes 37 genes, including two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) 12S and 16S, 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), and a D-loop in the characteristic arrangement of family Tupaiidae (Mammalia: Scandentia). The overall base composition of the complete mitochondrial DNA is A (33.5%), C (25.5%), G (13.9%), and T (27.1%). Phylogenetic analysis of Scandentia mitochondrial genomes showed a classic pattern, which was revealed previously while using individual phylogenetic markers. The result of the current study is consistent with one based on the latest morphological studies, with the basal position of Ptilocercus and Dendrogale sister to the rest of the Tupaiidae genera. The divergence time of the Dendrogale genus is estimated as Eocene-Oligocene, with the mean value of 35.8 MYA, and the Ptilocercus genus probably separated at about 46.3 MYA. We observe an increase in the age of all nodes within the Scandentia, except for a decrease in the age of separation of Ptilocercus. This result can be explained both by the addition of new mitochondrial genome data in the analysis and the usage of new calibration points from recently published data.
... Northern Slender-tailed Treeshrew** Dendrogale murina Cercopithecidae old-world Monkeys Caniidae Wild Dogs Mustelidae Weasels, otters etc.The presence of species in parenthesis ( ) has not been confirmed post 2006. * Identified as this species solely on the basis of range ** The records of this species are particularly noteworth and extend the species ecological distribution considerably, into low monsoonal elevations of the dry forests (seeTimmins et al. 2003b). The species has been observed on several occasions by H. L. Wright, most recently in the 2011 dry season. ...
... The species has been observed on several occasions by H. L. Wright, most recently in the 2011 dry season. The species was observed at locations along the O Kul (south of the O Khampha) in bamboo, a microhabitat with much similarity to other bamboo formations in which the species has been found(Timmins et al. 2003b). *** Interestingly this is the only sub-species of Callosciurus finlaysoni observed both east and west of the Sekong.Annex 4. birdsA black-necked stork shares a trapeang with a Whiteshouldered Ibis and a little egret Egretta garzetta. ...
... rangewide , excluding Melogale moschata populations in Taiwan and the two separate species of Melogale in the Greater Sundas), with the conclusions taking into account ecology (so far as is known), predominant survey methods, and comparisons with data on other species, especially small carnivores (e.g. similar to recent compilations for Stripe-backed Weasel Mustela strigidorsa, Abramov et al. 2008; Jungle Cat Felis chaus, Duckworth et al. 2005; Northern Smooth-tailed Treeshrew Dendrogale murina, Timmins et al. 2003). This would allow direct comparison with other species for which status is better understood, and would begin to clarify ...
A Large-toothed Ferret Badger Melogale personata skull was found just outside Botum Sakor National Park in Koh Kong province, Cambodia, on 3 November 2008. A road-killed individual was found in the Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area in Mondulkiri province, Cambodia, on 11 April 2007. Confirmation of both these records was based on the diagnostic large size of the upper fourth premolar and the relative size of the upper first and second premolars to one another. The known geographic range of this species includes parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. This account represents the first two documented records of Large-toothed Ferret Badger in Cambodia of which we are aware. True geographic distribution and conservation status re-main poorly known.
Treeshrews are small, Indomalayan mammals closely related to primates. Previously, three-dimensional geometric morphometric analyses were used to assess patterns of treeshrew lower second molar morphology, which showed that the positions of molar landmarks covary with intraordinal systematics. Another analysis used dental topographic metrics to test patterns of functional dental morphology and found that molar curvature, complexity, and relief were an effective means for examining patterns of variation in treeshrew dietary ecology. Here, we build on these analyses by adding two fossil taxa, Prodendrogale yunnanica Qiu, 1986 from the Miocene of China and Ptilocercus kylin Li and Ni, 2016 from the Oligocene of China. Our results show that Pr. yunnanica had a dental bauplan more like that of a tupaiid than that of a ptilocercid, but that the extant tupaiids, including Tupaia and Dendrogale, are more similar to one another in this regard than any are to Prodendrogale. This is contrary to our expectations as Prodendrogale is hypothesized to be most closely related to Dendrogale. Ptilocercus kylin, which has been proposed to be the sister taxon of Pt. lowii Gray, 1848, is characterized by dental morphology like that of Pt. lowii in crest and cuspal position but is interpreted to have been more frugivorous. It has been claimed that Ptilocercus has undergone little morphological change through time. Our results suggest that Pt. kylin was more ecologically distinct from Pt. lowii than previously proposed, providing a glimpse into a more complex evolutionary history of the group than had been inferred.
Field surveys in the Song Thanh and Saola Quang Nam Nature Reserves (Quang Nam Province , central Vietnam) were conducted in 2018 and 2019. In total, 197 individuals of small mammals were captured and studied in the field or collected as voucher specimens. Based on these data, an updated checklist of small mammals of Quang Nam Province is provided. A total of 78 species in 15 families and 6 orders is recorded from both reserves: viz., 57 species in the Song Thanh Nature Reserve and 39 species in the Saola Quang Nam Nature Reserve. Records of 20 species are new to the mammal checklist of Quang Nam Province.
A country uncommonly rich in plants, animals, and natural habitats, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam shelters a significant portion of the world’s biological diversity, including rare and unique organisms and an unusual mixture of tropical and temperate species. This book is the first comprehensive account of Vietnam’s natural history in English. Illustrated with maps, photographs, and thirty-five original watercolor illustrations, the book offers a complete tour of the country’s plants and animals along with a full discussion of the factors shaping their evolution and distribution.
Separate chapters focus on northern, central, and southern Vietnam, regions that encompass tropics, subtropics, mountains, lowlands, wetland and river regions, delta and coastal areas, and offshore islands. The authors provide detailed descriptions of key natural areas to visit, where a traveler might explore limestone caves or glimpse some of the country’s twenty-seven monkey and ape species and more than 850 bird species. The book also explores the long history of humans in the country, including the impact of the Vietnam-American War on plants and animals, and describes current efforts to conserve Vietnam’s complex, fragile, and widely threatened biodiversity.
Large mammals were surveyed using direct observation in montane Laos during April-May 1996 in little-disturbed evergreen forest in and around the Nakay-Nam Theun National Biodiversity Conservation Area (NBCA). Survey focussed on one road, where low hunting pressure and excellent viewing conditions gave the truest representation of relative species status at any Lao site yet surveyed. More large mammal species have been found there than in some entire NBCAs; the total of 15 species of carnivore is especially noteworthy. Nocturnal contact rates (if lorises are excluded from the comparison) were the highest of any Lao site yet surveyed. Encounter rates by day were also high. Totals of nine Globally Threatened, three Data Deficient and six Nationally At Risk species are of outstanding conservation importance. Many have large populations and some have not otherwise been seen in the field on a recent survey programme in Laos. A few additional species were found on another road where survey conditions were less good. Results from the area, compared with those from lowlands and foothills in southern Laos, suggest the following altitudinal distributions: (1) sympatric species in the genera Petaurista, Rhizomys, and Manis are separated altitudinally; (2) Arctonyx collaris, Paguma larvata, and Herpestes urva are submontane or montane; (3) Nycticebus coucang is commoner in the lowlands than at 1000 m.
Birds were surveyed in the Vientiane Forestry College Training and Model Forest (TMF) in Sangthong District, Vientiane, from mid-February to mid-March 1996. Incidental observations were made of large mammals. The original lowland forest of the area is heavily degraded except for very small patches, but a rich bird community still occurs. Populations of certain birds and mammals have been depleted by hunting. some to local extinction, al-though others notoriously sensitive to hunting remain, because of acceptance, unusual in Laos, by villagers of restrictions. Seventeen bird species of elevated conservation concern (Key Species) were found, and 10 of mammals; of these three and four, respectively, are considered Globally Threatened. All forest Key Species except one found were in semi-evergreen forest, comprising extensive logged areas now dominated by giant bamboo, and relict uncleared patches on hillocks and ridges in the centre of the TMF. Two large islands in the Mekong channel held five Key Species of bird not found in the TMF. The most important populations of Key Species in the TMF at a global level are Short-tailed Parrotbill Paradoxomis davidianus, Jerdon's Bushchat Saxicola jerdoni, a gibbon Hylobates as yet unidentified, Inornate Squirrel Callosciurus inomatus, Asian Elephant Elephas maximus and wild cattle Bas sp. As well as the above, populations of Pompadour Pigeon Treron pompadora, Rufous-throated Fulvetta Alcippe rufogularis and Plain Martin Riparia paludicola are nationally important. Bamboo Woodpecker Gecinulus viridis was widespread: this is the first confirmation of its occurrence east of the Mekong. There have been no similar surveys in Laos to the north of the site and such surveys would probably change the perceived importance of the TMF.