Ratufa gigantea

(McClelland in Horsfield, 1840)

Northern Black Giant Squirrel

Taxonomy

Subclass : Theria
Infraclass : Placentalia
Magnorder : Boreoeutheria
Superorder : Euarchontoglires
Order : Rodentia
Suborder : Sciuromorpha
Family : Sciuridae
Subfamily : Ratufinae
Genus : Ratufa

Species status

Living
Found in the wild

Authority citation

Horsfield, T. 1840-03. List of Mammalia and Birds collected in Assam by John McClelland, Esq., Assistant-Surgeon in the service of the East India Company, Bengal Establishment, Member of the late Deputation which was sent into that country for the purpose of investigating the nature of the Tea Plant. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1839:146-167.

Authority publication link

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30571393

Original name as described

Sciurus giganteus

Other common names

Black-and-white Giant Squirrel · Black Giant Squirrel

Type material

BMNH:Mamm:1879.11.21.336

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/59454698-d7b4-4a5f-add6-2f53dffb1809

Type locality

"Assam", India.

Biogeographic realm

Indomalaya

Country distribution

China · India · Nepal · Bhutan · Bangladesh · Myanmar · Vietnam · Laos · Cambodia · Thailand · Malaysia · Indonesia

Taxonomy notes

split from R. bicolor

Taxonomy notes citation

Hinckley, A., Pinilla-Buitrago, G.E., Maldonado, J.E., Flores, M.F.C., Esselstyn, J.A., Inayah, N. and Hawkins, M.T.R. 2025. Pliocene Forest Fragmentation Shaped Speciation in Tropical Asia's Giant Squirrels (Ratufa). Molecular Ecology 34(24):e70179. doi:10.1111/mec.70179

IUCN Red List status

Not Evaluated

Species Permalink

https://mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1007019

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.

Names and synonyms

Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details. If the list is long, scroll down to see more.

Sciurus giganteus

(McClelland in Horsfield, 1840)

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

gigantea

Validity status

species

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1879.11.21.336

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/59454698-d7b4-4a5f-add6-2f53dffb1809

Authority page

150

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30571393

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London

Sciurus Macruroides

(B. H. Hodgson, 1841)

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

macruroides

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

nomen_nudum

Type

BMNH (number not known)

Type kind

syntypes

Authority page

220

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/37126984

Authority publication

Calcutta Journal of Natural History

Name usages

  1. Hodgson (1841:220, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/37126984) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35561)
  2. Gray (1843:136, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53729829) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35530)
  3. Hodgson (1844:293, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46405528) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/65716)

Sciurus macruroides

(B. H. Hodgson, 1849)

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

macruroides

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1843.1.12.76

Type kind

lectotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/8f4e25d8-df45-400e-a809-7722f6884135

Authority page

775

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40133208

Authority publication

Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal

Name usages

  1. Horsfield (1857:402, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12860976) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36026)
  2. Jerdon (1867:168, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/37299939) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/68353)
  3. Blyth (1875:35, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/38675001) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/68967)
  4. Thorington & Hoffmann (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8554)

Ratufa gigantea

Trouessart, 1904

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

gigantea

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

308

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53423189

Authority publication

Berlin

Name usages

  1. Trouessart (1904:308, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53423189) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/59289)
  2. Thomas (1908:245, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2222282) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/62341)
  3. Robinson & Kloss (1918:192, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11127014) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36143)
  4. Pocock (1923:217, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31551105) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/41936)
  5. Allen (1925:12) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/11556)
  6. Chasen (1935:48) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/34045)
  7. Hinckley, Pinilla-Buitrago, Maldonado, Flores, Esselstyn, Inayah & Hawkins (2025:12) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/72471)

Ratufa gigantea hainana

J. A. Allen, 1906

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

hainana

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

AMNH M-26638

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

http://portal.vertnet.org/o/amnh/mammals?id=urn-catalog-amnh-mammals-m-26638

Authority page

472

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/26889584

Authority publication

Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History

Name usages

  1. Robinson & Kloss (1918:194, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11127016) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36143)
  2. Allen (1925:12) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/11556)

Ratufa gigantea lutrina

O. Thomas & Wroughton, 1916

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

lutrina

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1915.5.5.52

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/df6f3088-a8d0-4b67-996f-72bb96ed873f

Authority page

226

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30151771

Authority publication

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society

Name usages

  1. Robinson & Kloss (1918:193, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11127015) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36143)
  2. Thorington & Hoffmann (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8554)

Ratufa gigantea gigantea

H. C. Robinson & Kloss, 1918

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

gigantea

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

192

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11127014

Authority publication

Records of the Indian Museum

Name usages

Robinson & Kloss (1918:192, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11127014) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36143)

Ratufa gigantea macruroides

H. C. Robinson & Kloss, 1918

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

macruroides

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

193

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11127015

Authority publication

Records of the Indian Museum

Name usages

Robinson & Kloss (1918:193, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11127015) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36143)

Ratufa macruroides

O. Thomas, 1918

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

macruroides

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

371

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5454141

Authority publication

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society

Name usages

Thomas (1918:371, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5454141) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/32316)

Ratufa bicolor smithi

H. C. Robinson & Kloss, 1922

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

smithi

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1926.11.17.3

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/af396dc4-91f3-49d6-85c2-48847d818863

Authority page

89

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/24300882

Authority publication

Annals and Magazine of Natural History

Name usages

  1. Robinson & Kloss (1922:89, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/24300882) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/17305)
  2. Moore & Tate (1965:57, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2764862) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36138)
  3. Thorington & Hoffmann (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8554)
  4. Wilson, Lacher & Mittermeier (2016:711) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/59599)

Ratufa gigantea stigmosa

O. Thomas, 1923

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

stigmosa

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1898.10.5.40

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/c7d5a3a4-b158-410a-b531-2156e8606bbf

Authority page

86

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47864495

Authority publication

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society

Name usages

  1. Chasen (1935:48) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/34045)
  2. Thorington & Hoffmann (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8554)

Ratufa bicolor gigantea

J. C. Moore, 1959

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

gigantea

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

202

Authority publication

Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History

Name usages

  1. Moore (1959:202) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/6420)
  2. Moore & Tate (1965:59, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2764864) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36138)
  3. Thorington & Hoffmann (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8554)
  4. Smith & Xie (2008:173) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/64149)
  5. Wilson, Lacher & Mittermeier (2016:711) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/59599)

Ratufa bicolor hainana

J. C. Moore & Tate, 1965

Family

Sciuridae

Root name

hainana

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

63

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2764868

Authority publication

Fieldiana Zoology

Name usages

  1. Moore & Tate (1965:63, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2764868) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36138)
  2. Thorington & Hoffmann (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8554)
  3. Smith & Xie (2008:173) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/64149)
  4. Wilson, Lacher & Mittermeier (2016:711) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/59599)

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