Petaurista

"Giant flying squirrel" redirects here. For others known by that name, see Biswamoyopterus.

Petaurista is a genus of rodent in the family Sciuridae.^[1] They are large to very large flying squirrels found in forests and other wooded habitats in southern and eastern Asia.^[2]

Petaurista
Bhutan giant flying squirrel (Petaurista nobilis)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Tribe:	Pteromyini
Genus:	Petaurista Link, 1795
Type species
Sciurus petaurista

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.^[2]

Taxonomy

Gliding Indian giant flying squirrel (P. philippensis)

The species level taxonomy is very complex and not fully resolved.^[3] In 2005, Mammal Species of the World recognised eight species,^[4] but later studies have found that some of these were highly polyphyletic,^[5][6][7][8] and recent authorities have often recognised some of the most divergent "subspecies" as valid species.^[2][3][9] Additionally, three new species were described from northeastern India in 2007–2013, although their validity needs to be confirmed.^[10]

Living species

Eight species were recognised in Mammal Species of the World in 2005:^[4]

• Red and white giant flying squirrel, Petaurista alborufus Milne-Edwards, 1870
• Spotted giant flying squirrel, Petaurista elegans Müller, 1840
• Japanese giant flying squirrel, Petaurista leucogenys Temminck, 1827
• Hodgson's giant flying squirrel, Petaurista magnificus Hodgson, 1836
• Bhutan giant flying squirrel, Petaurista nobilis Gray, 1842
• Red giant flying squirrel, Petaurista petaurista Pallas, 1766
• Indian giant flying squirrel, Petaurista philippensis Elliot, 1839
• Chinese giant flying squirrel, Petaurista xanthotis Milne-Edwards, 1872

Seven additional species now often recognised, but traditionally considered subspecies:^[3][8]

• White-bellied giant flying squirrel, Petaurista albiventer Gray, 1834
• Grey-headed giant flying squirrel, Petaurista caniceps Gray, 1842
• Formosan giant flying squirrel, Petaurista grandis Swinhoe, 1863
• Hainan giant flying squirrel, Petaurista hainana G. Allen, 1925
• Taiwan giant flying squirrel, Petaurista lena Thomas, 1907
• Spotted giant flying squirrel, Petaurista marica Thomas, 1912
• Chindwin giant flying squirrel, Petaurista sybilla Thomas and Wroughton, 1916

Three new species that were described by Anwaruddin Choudhury from Arunachal Pradesh in 2007–2013:^[11][12][13]

• Mechuka giant flying squirrel, Petaurista mechukaensis Choudhury, 2007
• Mishmi giant flying squirrel, Petaurista mishmiensis Choudhury, 2009
• Mebo giant flying squirrel, Petaurista siangensis Choudhury, 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:^[3][14]

• †Petaurista brachyodus Young, 1934
• †Petaurista helleri Dehm, 1962
• †Petaurista tetyukhensis Tiunov & Gimranov, 2019

References

1. Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Jackson, S.M. (2012). Gliding Mammals of the World. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 112–135. ISBN 9780643092600.
3. Jackson, S.M.; R.W. Thorington Jr. (2012). "Gliding Mammals – Taxonomy of Living and Extinct Species". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 638 (638): 1–117. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.638.1.
4. Thorington, R.W. Jr; Hoffman, R.S. (2005). "Genus Petaurista". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
5. Oshida, T.; C.M. Shafique; S. Barkati; Y. Fujita; L.-K. Lin; R. Masuda (2004). "A Preliminary Study on Molecular Phylogeny of Giant Flying Squirrels, Genus Petaurista (Rodentia, Sciuraidae) Based on Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Sequences". Russian Journal of Theriology. 3 (1): 15–24. doi:10.15298/rusjtheriol.03.1.04.
6. Yu, F.R.; F.H. Yu; J.F. Peng; C.W. Kilpatrick; P.M. McGuire; Y.X. Wang; S.Q. Lu; C.A. Woods (2006). "Phylogeny and biogeography of the Petaurista philippensis complex (Rodentia: Sciuridae), inter- and intraspecific relationships inferred from molecular and morphometric analysis". Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 38 (3): 755–766. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.002. PMID 16414285.
7. Oshida, T.; et al. (2010). "Phylogenetics of Petaurista in light of specimens collected from northern Vietnam". Mammal Study. 35: 85–91. doi:10.3106/041.035.0107. S2CID 85670447.
8. Li, S.; K. He; F.-H. Yu; Q.-S. Yang (2013). "Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of Petaurista Inferred from the Cytochrome b Gene, with Implications for the Taxonomic Status of P. caniceps, P. marica and P. sybilla". PLOS ONE. 8 (7): e70461. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0070461. PMC 3724786. PMID 23922995.
9. Francis, C.M. (2019). A Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia (2 ed.). New Holland Publishers. pp. 164–167, 362–364. ISBN 978-1-4729-3497-0.
10. Krishna, M.C.; A. Kumar; O.P. Tripathi; J.L. Koprowski (2016). "Diversity, Distribution and Status of Gliding Squirrels in Protected and Non-protected Areas of the Eastern Himalayas in India". Hystrix: The Italian Journal of Mammalogy. 27 (2): 1–9. doi:10.4404/hystrix-27.2-11688.
11. Choudhury, A.U. (2007). "A new flying squirrel of the genus Petaurista Link from Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India". Newsletter and Journal of the Rhino Foundation for Nat. In NE India. 7: 26–32.
12. Choudhury, A.U. (2009). "One more new flying squirrel of the genus Petaurista Link, 1795 from Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India". Newsletter and Journal of the Rhino Foundation for Nat. In NE India. 8: 26–34.
13. Choudhury, A.U. (2013). "Descriptions of a new species of giant flying squirrel of genus Petaurista Link, 1795 from Siang basin, Arunachal Pradesh in North East India". Newsletter and Journal of the Rhino Foundation for Nat. In NE India. 9: 30–38.
14. Tiunov, M.P.; D.O. Gimranov (2019). "The first fossil Petaurista (Mammalia: Sciuridae) from the Russian Far East and its paleogeographic significance". Palaeoworld. 29: 176–181. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2019.05.007. hdl:10995/92658.