NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel
Heliosciurus ruwenzorii (Schwann, 1904)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel (Heliosciurus ruwenzorii)
Paul Prior · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Ruwenzori sun squirrel (Heliosciurus ruwenzorii) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae.
It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and arable land.
Wikipedia contributors, Ruwenzori sun squirrel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:47:16.266505+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Heliosciurus ruwenzorii (Schwann, 1904)
- Name authority
- (Schwann, 1904)
- Common name
- Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
- Genus
- Heliosciurus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderSciuromorpha Brandt, 1855
- familySciuridae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
- subfamilyXerinae Osborn, 1910
- tribeProtoxerini Moore, 1959
- genusHeliosciurus Trouessart, 1880
- speciesHeliosciurus ruwenzorii (Schwann, 1904)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Heliosciurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gambian Sun SquirrelHeliosciurus gambianus (Ogilby, 1835) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mutable Sun SquirrelHeliosciurus mutabilis (Peters, 1852) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Small Sun SquirrelHeliosciurus punctatus (Temminck, 1853) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-legged Sun SquirrelHeliosciurus rufobrachium (Waterhouse, 1842) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=632370 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3KC49. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.