Namdapha flying squirrel
{{Short description|Species of rodent}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Namdapha flying squirrel
| image = Biswamoyopterus biswasi.jpg
| image_caption = Holotype of the Namdapha flying squirrel, viewed from above and below
| status = CR
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Biswamoyopterus
| species = biswasi
| authority = Saha, 1981{{MSW3 Sciuridae}}
}}
The Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi) is a flying squirrel endemic to Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India, where it is known from a single zoological specimen collected in Namdapha National Park in 1981.
Description
The Namdapha flying squirrel has reddish, grizzled fur with white above and a pale grey crown; its patagium is orangish and its underparts are white. Its cheek teeth are simple, and its incisors are unpigmented. Septae are multiple in auditory bullae and sometimes honeycomb-shaped with 10 to 12 cells in it. It measures {{cvt|40.5|cm|in}} from head-to-vent and has a {{cvt|60|cm|in}} long tail. The hindfoot is {{cvt|7.8|cm}}, and the ear is {{cvt|4.6|cm}} long.
Taxonomy
The Namdapha flying squirrel first described in 1981, based on a single zoological specimen collected in Namdapha National Park. Its scientific name commemorates Biswamoy Biswas, director of the Zoological Survey of India. It was the first member of the genus Biswamoyopterus; in 2013, the Laotian giant flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus laoensis) was described.{{cite journal |last1=Sanamxay |first1=D. |title=Rediscovery of Biswamoyopterus (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae: Pteromyini) in Asia, with the description of a new species from Lao PDR |journal=Zootaxa |volume=3686 |issue=4 |pages=471–481 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3686.4.5 |pmid=26473234 |year=2013 |last2=Douangboubpha|first2=B. |last3=Bumrungsri |first3=S. |last4=Xayavong |first4=S. |last5=Xayaphet |first5=V. |last6=Satasook |first6=C. |last7=Bates |first7=P. J.J. |s2cid=1381787}} In 2018, a new flying squirrel, the Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis) was discovered in China.{{Cite web |first=E. |last=Gutoskey |title=Humongous, chihuahua-sized species of flying squirrel has been discovered in China |date=2019 |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/590106/new-species-flying-squirrel-discovered-in-china |work=www.mentalfloss.com |access-date=September 21, 2022}}
Distribution and habitat
The Namdapha flying squirrel is endemic to Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India. It inhabits tall Mesua ferrea jungles, often on hill slopes in the drainage basin area of Dihing River, particularly on the western slope of Patkai range in northeastern India.{{cite journal |last=Saha |first=S. S. |year=1981 |title=A new genus and a new species of flying squirrel (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae) from northeastern India |journal=Bulletin of the Zoological Survey of India |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=331–336 |url=http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/bulletin/004/03/0331-0336.pdf}}{{cite journal |last=Saha |first=S. S. |year=1985 |journal=Records of the Zoological Survey of India |title=Mammalia |issue=1–4 |volume=82 |pages=321–330 |doi=10.26515/rzsi/v82/i1-4/1984/161306 |s2cid=251697069 |url=http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/records/082/01-04/0321-0329.pdf}}
In April 2022, a putative Namdapha flying squirrel was recorded in Arunachal Pradesh.{{Cite news |last=Karmakar |first=R. |date=2023 |title=Missing for 42 years, flying squirrel resurfaces in Arunachal |work=The Hindu |access-date=2023-12-23 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/missing-for-42-years-flying-squirrel-resurfaces-in-arunachal/article67661778.ece}} To prove its validity, the researchers are planning to collect fecal samples for identification of DNA.{{Cite web |author=Daniel, E. |date=2023 |title=This flying squirrel is still lost to science, but maybe not for much longer |url=http://www.rewild.org/news/this-flying-squirrel-is-still-lost-to-science-but-maybe-not-for-much-longer |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Re:wild}}
Status
The Namdapha flying squirrel is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. Its range may be restricted to a single valley, and it is threatened by poaching of animals for food within the park, and possibly by habitat destruction. It is among the 25 "most wanted lost" species that are the focus of Re:wild's "Search for Lost Species" initiative.{{Cite news |title=The Search for Lost Species |url=https://www.lostspecies.org |work=Global Wildlife Conservation|access-date=10 July 2017}}
References
{{Commons category|Biswamoyopterus biswasi}}
{{Reflist}}
{{S. Sciurinae2 nav}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1482523}}
Category:Endemic fauna of India
Category:Environment of Arunachal Pradesh
Category:Critically endangered fauna of Asia