The Nilgiri striped squirrel (''Funambulus sublineatus'') is a

threatened A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...

species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

, a small

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

(Sciuridae) from

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

s in the southern Western Ghats, including the Nilgiris, in

Peninsular India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the Union territories of In ...

. It formerly included ''

Funambulus obscurus The dusky striped squirrel (''Funambulus obscurus'') is a species of small squirrel from Sri Lanka that is largely confined to rainforests in the southwestern "wet zone" with higher rainfall than the rest of the island. It was formerly regarded ...

'' from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

as a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

, at which point the English name of the "combined species" also was dusky striped squirrel (a name now restricted to the Sri Lankan species).

Taxonomy

''Funambulus sublineatus'' was scientifically described in 1838. Later it was merged with the Sri Lankan ''obscurus'', then regarded as a subspecies of ''Funambulus sublineatus''. In 2012, a review found that the two were highly distinct and recommended that they should be recognized as separate species.Rajith Dissanayake. 2012
The Nilgiri striped squirrel (''Funambulus sublineatus''), and the dusky striped squirrel (''Funambulus obscurus''), two additions to the endemic mammal fauna of India and Sri Lanka.
''Small Mammal Mail.'' Vol 3(2):6-7

Distribution

The former range of the species, before the taxonomic split, was in both India and

, though the Nilgiri palm squirrel (''F. sublineatus'') is now restricted in distribution to the Western Ghats of India. Very little is known of this squirrel, probably the smallest in the genus weighing about 40g. Its new status as an endemic mammal to India means records need updating. The species is confined to wet humid forests either in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri hills (and surrounding areas such as around Kodaikanal in India)

References

Funambulus Mammals of India Mammals described in 1838 Taxa named by George Robert Waterhouse Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Squirrel-stub