Glaucomys oregonensis
| Humboldt's Flying Squirrel
(Glaucomys oregonensis) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Sciuromorpha |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Subfamily: | Sciurinae |
| Tribe: | Pteromyini |
| Genus: | Glaucomys |
| Binomial details | |
| Glaucomys oregonensis (Bachman, 1839) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
The Humboldt's Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis) is a nocturnal, gliding squirrel that inhabits forested regions in the western United States.
Description
External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
| Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California (Mendocino Co.) | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History | 277 (young adult female) | 133 (young adult female) | 37 (young adult female) |
Skull
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Holotype: USNM 99830. Young adult female. Sherwood, Mendocino County, California. Collected 10 May 1894. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 99830. Young adult female. Sherwood, Mendocino County, California. Collected 10 May 1894. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 99830. Young adult female. Sherwood, Mendocino County, California. Collected 10 May 1894. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 99830. Young adult female. Sherwood, Mendocino County, California. Collected 10 May 1894. Dorsal view of the mandible. -
Holotype: USNM 99830. Young adult female. Sherwood, Mendocino County, California. Collected 10 May 1894. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Taxonomy notes
From Arbogast et al. (2017): "Glaucomys sabrinus, as currently recognized, is actually composed of 2 separate, apparently non-hybridizing species. Control region mtDNA data from 185 individuals across North America revealed 2 distinct clades embedded within G. sabrinus: a widespread “Continental” lineage and a more geographically restricted “Pacific Coastal” lineage. The geographic distributions of these 2 lineages are largely mutually exclusive, with sympatry observed at only 3 sites in the Pacific Northwest. Analysis of 8 microsatellite loci showed no evidence of hybridization between the 2 lineages of G. sabrinus in the region of sympatry. This lack of gene flow is noteworthy given that populations of the Continental lineage of G. sabrinus have been shown to hybridize with G. volans in southeastern Canada. Finally, phylogenetic analyses and estimates of divergence times show that G. volans and Continental G. sabrinus are actually sister taxa that diverged from one another more recently than either did from Pacific Coastal G. sabrinus. We propose that these observations provide strong evidence for a third, previously unrecognized species of North American flying squirrel, whose geographic range extends along the Pacific Coast from southern British Columbia to southern California. Glaucomys oregonensis (Bachman, 1839), whose type locality is in Oregon, is the senior available name for this taxon."
References
Arbogast BS, Schumacher KI, Kerhoulas NJ, Bidlack AL, Cook JA, Kenagy GJ. 2017. Genetic data reveal a cryptic species of New World flying squirrel: Glaucomys oregonensis. Journal of Mammalogy 98(4): 1027-1041.
Bachman J. 1839. Additional remarks on the genus Lepus, with corrections of a former paper, and descriptions of other species of quadrupeds found in North America. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 8(1):75-105.