Delineating the Range of a Disjunct Population of Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys volans) AMANDA J. LAVERS, STEPHEN D. PETERSEN, DONALD T. STEWART 1 AND TOM B. HERMAN Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6 Canada ABSTRACT .—The Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is a species designated at risk in Canada where its range is restricted to parts of Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Before this study, its distribution in Nova Scotia was poorly documented, with only seven site records. Based on live-trapping and intact and partial specimens provided by the public, we present data for 28 additional locations; these combined with historic records delineate a disjunct range that is more extensive than previously believed, but limited to southwest Nova Scotia. To identify specimens that were not fully intact, simple morphological and molecular techniques were employed. The latter, which consisted of PCR amplification and then restriction enzyme digestion of the cytochrome-b gene, allowed reliable species identification of tree squirrels from Nova Scotia by use of partial specimens. INTRODUCTION The range of the southern flying squirrel [Glaucomys volans (Linnaeus)] extends over eastern North America from Florida to southern Ontario and Quebec (Dolan and Carter, 1977) with disjunct populations in Nova Scotia and Central America (Wood and Tessier, 1974; Diersing, 1980). Glaucomys volans was first recorded in Nova Scotia in 1971 from near Grafton lakes in Kejimkujik National Park (Wood and Tessier, 1974). Since that initial report approximately 20 additional records from seven sites in Nova Scotia (Fig. 1) have been documented (Elderkin, 1987; Davis, 1998; Hope, 2000). Glaucomys volans is designated a ‘‘species at risk’’ in Canada (COSEWIC, 2004). Southern and northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus), both of which are present in Nova Scotia, are difficult to distinguish. For example, a specimen collected at Pebbleoggitch Lake, Kejimkujik National Park in 1962, and reported by Wood and Tessier (1974) as G. volans, is actually a small G. sabrinus (Scott and Hebda, 2004). The diagnostic test to distinguish Glaucomys species requires close examination of ventral hairs (Dolan and Carter, 1977). Most mammal inventories use trapping techniques inadequate for sampling Glaucomys species. The public rarely reports flying squirrel sightings and never differen- tiates the two species. These difficulties, combined with the nocturnal habits of flying squirrels, have resulted in a poor understanding of the basic distribution of G. volans in Nova Scotia. Advances in DNA extraction techniques and increased access to PCR technology allow use of molecular methods to quickly and inexpensively confirm species identification from trace evidence. Various molecular methods have been used to identify species, races and sexes (for review see Symondson, 2002). These methodologies range from amplification of a specific distinguishing marker (Hoelzel, 2001; Jarman et al., 2002; Palomares, 2002) to amplification of a general marker followed by restriction enzyme digestion (Paxinos et al., 1997) or sequencing (Farrell et al., 2000). 1 e-mail: don.stewart@acadiau.ca 188 Am. Midl. Nat. 155:188–196