'New Bornean carnivore' is most likely a little known flying squirrel

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2006.00089.x

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Wiley InterScience

Mammal Review

Volume 36 Issue 4, Pages 318 - 324

Published Online: 12 Dec 2006

Published in association with the Mammal Society

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'New Bornean carnivore' is most likely a little known flying squirrel

ERIK MEIJAARD*†, ANDREW C. KITCHENER‡§ and CHRIS SMEENK¶

*The Nature Conservancy, East Kalimantan Provincial Office, Jalan Gamelan No. 13 Kompl. Prefab, Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia 75123, †School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Building 14, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia, ‡Department of Natural Sciences, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, §Institute of Geography, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK, and ¶National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

Correspondence to E. Meijaard. E-mail: emeijaard@tnc.org

Editor: RM

KEYWORDS

Aeromys • Borneo • camera trap • civet • new mammal • Petaurista

ABSTRACT

1.
We analysed two camera-trap photos of an alleged new species of carnivore from Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia.
2.
Comparisons of the features seen in the photos with morphological features of 17 similar-looking species from the region suggest that the animal is not a new species of carnivore, as had been widely speculated, but is most likely a rarely seen species of flying squirrel, probably Aeromys thomasi.
3.
We advocate continuing adherence to the formalities of species description based on actual specimens and a formal review process. Even informal announcements about possible new species based on photographs or other indirect evidence should adopt a cautionary approach. All the possibilities should be eliminated using any available means, such as comparative morphometrics and assessments of body shape and posture, and coat colour.

Submitted 1 April 2006; returned for revision 22 August 2006; revision accepted 30 August 2006

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1111/j.1365-2907.2006.00089.x About DOI