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.[1]
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.[1]
The species level taxonomy is very complex and not fully resolved.[2] In 2005, Mammal Species of the World recognised eight species,[3] but later studies have found that some of these were highly polyphyletic,[4][5][6][7] and recent authorities have often recognised some of the most divergent "subspecies" as valid species.[1][2][8] Additionally, three new species were described from northeastern India in 2007–2013, although their validity needs to be confirmed.[9]
Three new species that were described by Anwaruddin Choudhury from Arunachal Pradesh in 2007–2013:[10][11][12]
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:[2][13]
