Sciurus aureogaster (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

Abstract

Sciurus aureogaster Cuvier, 1829 is a sciurid commonly called the red-bellied squirrel. It is a medium-bodied tree squirrel quite variable in color throughout its geographic distribution; partial and complete melanism are common. One of 28 species in the genus, S. aureogaster is endemic to Mexico and Guatemala, and introduced to the Florida Keys, United States. S. aureogaster inhabits a wide variety of ecosystems and plant communities, is diurnal, arboreal, and uses leaf nests and tree cavities for nesting. S. aureogaster feeds primarily on acorns (Quercus) and pine (Pinus) seeds throughout most of its distribution, but individuals are known to damage corn and other plantation crops including cacao. Litter size ranges between 1 and 4 young. S. aureogaster is listed as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Consumo de semillas de Cassia fistula (Fabacea: Malvaeae) por Echinosciurus aureogaster (Rodentia: Sciuridae) en Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, México

“…Adicionalmente, en climas tropicales se ha reportado como una especie dañina por el consumo de cultivos comerciales como el mango (Mangifera indica), papaya (Carica papaya), higos verdes (Ficus), ciruelos (Spondias bombin), semillas de tamarindo (Tamarindus indica), chicozapote (Manilkara sp.) y semillas de la palma de chocho (Astrocaryum mexicanum) (Hilje & Monge 1988;Leopold 2000;Valdéz-Alarcón & Téllez-Girón 2005;Hidalgo-Mihart et al 2011;Koprowski et al 2017).…”

Inventory of medium-sized and large mammals in the wetlands of Laguna de Terminos and Pantanos de Centla, Mexico

“…(S. aureogaster is slightly larger than S. yucatanensis and these 2 species are larger than S. depeii; Reid 2009, Koprowski et al 2017, this distinction is difficult to observe in camera-trap photographs. The fur color of S. aureogaster, varying from completely black to combinations of black with reddish brown or gray, may produce confusion with the other 2 species in camera-trap photographs (Reid 2009, Koprowski et al 2017. Therefore, to avoid misidentification we decided to report our records only as Sciurus sp.…”