The Palawan treeshrew (''Tupaia palawanensis'') is a

treeshrew The treeshrews (also called tree shrews or banxrings) are small mammals native to the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. They make up the entire order Scandentia (from Latin ''scandere'', "to climb"), which split into two families: the ...

species endemic to the

Palawan Island Palawan () is the largest island of the province of Palawan in the Philippines and fifth-largest by area and tenth-most populous island of the country, with a total population of 994,101 as of 2020 census. The northwest coast of the island is a ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, where it occurs from sea level to an elevation of . The population is considered steady. Formerly, it was considered 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 ...

of the

common treeshrew The common treeshrew (''Tupaia glis'') is a small mammal in the treeshrew family Tupaiidae, and is native to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. It has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it remains common and displays some adaptabil ...

. Those found on the islands of Busuanga and

Culion Culion, officially the Municipality of Culion (), is a municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,213 people. Culion consists primarily of Culion Island as well as 41 minor sur ...

, which are part of the

Calamian Islands The Calamian Islands or the Calamianes is a group of islands in the province of Palawan, Philippines. It includes: * Busuanga Island * Coron Island * Culion Island * Calauit Island * Malcapuya Island * Banana Island * Pass Island * Calumbuyan ...

group in the

, have also been called the Calamian treeshrew.

Habitat and ecology

This species occurs in jungles rich with fresh water and rivers. It also can be found in agriculture or farming zones, for example, cashew and coconut farms, brushy regions, and logged-over areas. No threats to this species are known.

Taxonomy

The German zoologist

Paul Matschie file: Paul Matschie (BerlLeben 1901-09).JPG, Paul Matschie Paul Matschie (11 August 1861, Brandenburg an der Havel – 7 March 1926, Friedenau) was a German zoologist. He studied mathematics and natural sciences at the Universities of Universi ...

first described a Calamian treeshrew from Culion that was part of a zoological collection obtained by the Berlin Zoological Museum in the present day the

Natural History Museum, Berlin The Natural History Museum () is a natural history museum located in Berlin, Germany. It exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history and in such domain it is one of three major museums in Germany alongside Natur ...

. He considered it a distinct

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

as this

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...

differed from the ''Palawan treeshrew'' by a slightly shorter muzzle, and a lighter colour of the toes, hair of the tail and chest.Matschie, P. (1898)
''Säugethiere von den Philippinen''.
Sitzungsbericht der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin: 38–43. It is now recognised as a synonym of the Palawan treeshrew.

References

Treeshrews Mammals of the Philippines Mammals described in 1894 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas Endemic fauna of the Philippines Fauna of Palawan Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{mammal-stub