Sun squirrel

Genus of rodents

Sun squirrels
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene to Recent
H. rufobrachium, Uganda
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Tribe: Protoxerini
Genus: Heliosciurus
Trouessart, 1880
Type species
Sciurus gambianus
Species[1]
  • Heliosciurus gambianus
  • Heliosciurus mutabilis
  • Heliosciurus punctatus
  • Heliosciurus rufobrachium
  • Heliosciurus ruwenzorii
  • Heliosciurus undulatus

Sun squirrels (genus Heliosciurus), form a taxon of squirrels under the subfamily Xerinae and the tribe Protoxerini. They are only found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Either the habit of basking in the sun on tree branches[citation needed] or the tail being commonly used as a sunshade[2] gave this group its common name.

Sun squirrels have been implicated in the spread of human monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[citation needed]

There are six species in the genus:

References

  1. ^ Thorington, R.W. Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. OCLC 26158608.
  2. ^ Thomas, H.H.; Best, T.L.; Agwanda, B. (September 2019). "Heliosciurus rufobrachium (Rodentia: Sciuridae)". Mammalian Species. 51 (978): 61–69. doi:10.1093/mspecies/sez010.
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Extant species of family Sciuridae (subfamily Xerinae)
Xerini
Atlantoxerus
  • Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus)
Spermophilopsis
  • Long-clawed ground squirrel (Spermophilopsis leptodactylus)
Xerus
(African ground squirrels)
  • Subgenus Euxerus: Striped ground squirrel (Xerus erythropus)
  • Subgenus Geosciurus: Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris)
  • Mountain ground squirrel (Xerus princeps)
  • Subgenus Xerus: Unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus)
Protoxerini
Epixerus
  • Ebian's palm squirrel (Epixerus ebii)
Funisciurus
(African striped squirrels)
  • Thomas's rope squirrel (Funisciurus anerythrus)
  • Lunda rope squirrel (Funisciurus bayonii)
  • Carruther's mountain squirrel (Funisciurus carruthersi)
  • Congo rope squirrel (Funisciurus congicus)
  • Lady Burton's rope squirrel (Funisciurus isabella)
  • Ribboned rope squirrel (Funisciurus lemniscatus)
  • Red-cheeked rope squirrel (Funisciurus leucogenys)
  • Fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus)
  • Kintampo rope squirrel (Funisciurus substriatus)
Heliosciurus
(sun squirrels)
  • Gambian sun squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus)
  • Mutable sun squirrel (Heliosciurus mutabilis)
  • Small sun squirrel (Heliosciurus punctatus)
  • Red-legged sun squirrel (Heliosciurus rufobrachium)
  • Ruwenzori sun squirrel (Heliosciurus ruwenzorii)
  • Zanj sun squirrel (Heliosciurus undulatus)
Myosciurus
  • African pygmy squirrel (Myosciurus pumilio)
Paraxerus
(African bush squirrels)
  • Alexander's bush squirrel (Paraxerus alexandri)
  • Boehm's bush squirrel (Paraxerus boehmi)
  • Smith's bush squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi)
  • Cooper's mountain squirrel (Paraxerus cooperi)
  • Striped bush squirrel (Paraxerus flavovittis)
  • African red bush squirrel (Paraxerus lucifer)
  • Ochre bush squirrel (Paraxerus ochraceus)
  • Red bush squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus)
  • Green bush squirrel (Paraxerus poensis)
  • Swynnerton's bush squirrel (Paraxerus vexillarius)
  • Vincent's bush squirrel (Paraxerus vincenti)
Protoxerus
(African giant squirrels)
  • Slender-tailed squirrel (Protoxerus aubinnii)
  • Forest giant squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri)
Marmotini
(ground squirrels)
Category
Taxon identifiers
Heliosciurus


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