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Petaurista

Petaurista is a genus of rodent in the family Sciuridae. They are large to very large flying squirrels found in forests and other wooded habitats in southern and eastern Asia.

Like other flying squirrels, they are mostly nocturnal and able to glide (not actually fly like a bat) long distances between trees by spreading out their patagium, skin between their limbs. They feed primarily on plant material, but will also take small animals such as insects.

Taxonomy

The species level taxonomy is very complex and not fully resolved. In 2005, Mammal Species of the World recognised eight species, but later studies have found that some of these were highly polyphyletic, and recent authorities have often recognised some of the most divergent "subspecies" as valid species. Additionally, three new species were described from northeastern India in 2007–2013, although their validity needs to be confirmed.

Living species

Eight species were recognised in Mammal Species of the World in 2005:

Seven additional species now often recognised, but traditionally considered subspecies:

Three new species that were described by Anwaruddin Choudhury from Arunachal Pradesh in 2007–2013:

Extinct species

In addition to the living species, there are a few extinct species that only are known from fossil remains from the Mid and Late Pleistocene in China, the Russian Far East and Germany:

  • †Petaurista brachyodus <small>Young, 1934</small>
  • †Petaurista helleri <small>Dehm, 1962</small>
  • †Petaurista tetyukhensis <small>Tiunov & Gimranov, 2019</small>

References