A report on the possible interbreeding between Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ratufa macroura and Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica from Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in the southern Western Ghats, India
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
We report a possible instance of hybridization between the Ratufa indica and Ratufa macroura from Western Ghats. The details on the coat of the hybrid individuals, location map where the hybrids where sighted and the conservation challenges have been discussed in the paper.
Article Details
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
References
Agarwal, V.C. & S. Chakraborty (1979). Taxonomic notes on some Oriental squirrels. Mammalia 43(2): 161–172.
Babu, S. & A. Kalaimani (2014). New site record of Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ratufa macroura from Thiruvannamalai Forest Division, Eastern Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 6(2): 5492–5493; https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3680.5492-3
Borges, R.M. (2015). Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica), pp483–500. In: Johnsingh, A.J.T & N. Manjrekar (eds.). Mammals of South Asia, Vol. II. The University Press (India) Private Ltd., Hyderabad, India, 720pp.
Champion, H.G. & S.K. Seth (1968). A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India. Government of India Press, Delhi, 404pp.
Dowling, T.E. & C.L. Secor (1997). The role of hybridization and introgression in the diversification of animals. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 28: 593–619.
Ermakov, O.A., V.L. Surin, S.V. Titov, A.F. Tagiev, A.V. Luk’yanenko & N.A. Formozov (2002). A molecular genetic study of hybridization in four species of ground squirrels (Spermophilus: Rodentia, Sciuridae). Russian Journal of Genetics 38(7): 796–809.
Joshua, J. (1992). Ecology of the Endangered Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura) in Tamil Nadu, south India. Ph.D Thesis. Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, 191pp.
Joshua, J. (1996). Interbreeding between Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura Pennant) and Malabar Giant Squirrel (R. indica Erxleben). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 93(1): 82–83.
Joshua, J., de A. Goonatilake, W.L.D.P.T.S. & S. Molur (2008). Ratufa macroura. In: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 23 December 2017.
Justus, J. & A.J.T. Johnsingh (2015). Grizzled Giant Squirrel, pp501–512. In: Johnsingh, A.J.T. & N. Manjrekar (eds.). Mammals of South Asia, Vol 2. University Press, Hyderabad, India, 720p.
Lloyd, H.G. (1983). Past and present distribution of Red and Grey squirrels. Mammal Review 13(2–4): 69–80.
Menon, V. (2014). Indian Mammals: A Field Guide. Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt. Ltd., Guragon, India, 528pp.
Moore, J.C. & G.H.H. Tate (1965). A study of the diurnal squirrels, Sciurinae, of the Indian and Indo-Chinese subregions. Fieldiana Zoology 48: 1–351.
Nair, S.C. (1992). The sSsouthern Western Ghats: A Biodiversity Conservation Plan. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Indraprastha Press, New Delhi, 91pp.
Reynolds, J.C. (1985). Details of geographical replacement of the Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) by the Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Eastern England. Journal of Animal Ecology 54: 149–162.
Schwartz, S.S. (1980). Ekologicheskie zakonomernosti evolyutsii (Ecological Regularities at Evolution). Nauka Publishers, Moscow.
Thomas, K & P.O. Nameer (2018). Alarming population status of the Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura) (Mammalia: Rodenta: Sciuridae) in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(10): 12350–12356; https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3536.10.10.12350-12356