A case study of the food habit of the woolly flying squirrel (<i>Eupetaurus cinereus</i>) in northern Pakistan

Abstract Eupetaurus cinereus is confined to the rocky mountains of northern Pakistan at elevations above 3,000 m. We analysed a faecal pellet using DNA metabarcoding to assess the fungal resource usage of this species. Most of the detected fungi were microfungi, indicating environmental contamination, accidental ingestion, or members of the intestinal mycobiome. One abundant microfungus detected as the hypolithic species Knufia walvisbayicola suggests a potential lichen origin, although the above possibilities cannot be excluded. A high number of sequences of Peniophora polygonia and Perenniporia subtephropora , which form fruiting bodies, were detected. Macrofungi may serve as dietary resources for E. cinereus .