Sciurus niger

Linnaeus, 1758

Eastern Fox Squirrel

Taxonomy

Subclass : Theria
Infraclass : Placentalia
Magnorder : Boreoeutheria
Superorder : Euarchontoglires
Order : Rodentia
Suborder : Sciuromorpha
Family : Sciuridae
Subfamily : Sciurinae
Tribe : Sciurini
Genus : Sciurus
Subgenus : Parasciurus

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Linnaeus, C. 1758-01-01. Systema Naturæ per Regna Tria Naturæ, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio Decima, Reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, 823 pp.

Original name as described

Sciurus niger

Other common names

Bryant's Fox Squirrel · Cat Squirrel · Delmarva Fox Squirrel · Fox Squirrel · Stump-eared Squirrel · Western Fox Squirrel · Big Cypress Fox Squirrel

Type locality

"in America septentrionalis." Restricted by O. Thomas in 1911 to southern South Carolina, USA.

Biogeographic realm

Nearctic

Country distribution

Canada · United States · Mexico

Subregion distribution

USA(TX,AL,TN,DE,KS,SC,LA,FL,IA,SD,CO,AR,MN,GA,NY,NC,MD,NE,OK,ND,MS,IL,KY,MO,VA,IN,PA,OH,MI,WI,WV,DC?)

Taxonomy notes

under a new proposed taxonomic arrangement for Sciurini, S. niger (along with S. arizonensis, S. nayaritensis, S. alleni, and S. oculatus) would be moved to the genus Parasciurus; this arrangement is tentatively not followed here pending further investigation

Taxonomy notes citation

Patton, J. L., Pardiñas, U. F., & D'Elía, G. (2015). Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents (Vol. 2). University of Chicago Press. · de Abreu-Jr, E. F., Pavan, S. E., Tsuchiya, M. T., Wilson, D. E., Percequillo, A. R., & Maldonado, J. E. (2020). Museomics of tree squirrels: A dense taxon sampling of mitogenomes reveals hidden diversity, phenotypic convergence, and the need of a taxonomic overhaul. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 20, 1-77. · de Abreu-Jr, E. F., Pavan, S. E., Tsuchiya, M. T., Wilson, D. E., Percequillo, A. R., & Maldonado, J. E. (2020). Spatiotemporal diversification of tree squirrels: is the South American invasion and speciation really that recent and fast?. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 8, 230.

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

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.

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