NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Prevost's Squirrel
Callosciurus prevostii (Desmarest, 1822)
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.
Location taken: Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Names: Callosciurus prevostii (Desmarest, 1822), Prevost's Squirrel, Tri-Colored Squirrel, Veverka Prévostova, Wiewiórka trójbarwn Classification: Animalia > Chordata > Mammalia > Rodentia > Nannosciurini > Callosciurus > Callosciurus prevostii.
Photo by David J. Stang · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Prevost's squirrel or Asian tri-coloured squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii) is a colourful species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby smaller islands, with an introduced population in northern Sulawesi. Although the Prevost's squirrel is declining in some regions because of habitat loss and hunting, the species is not considered threatened since it generally remains common and widespread. It can live in somewhat disturbed habitats and often visits plantations or gardens. It mostly feeds on plant material, especially fruits, but also takes insects.
Wikipedia contributors, Prevost's squirrel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:57:15.818586+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Callosciurus prevostii (Desmarest, 1822)
- Name authority
- (Desmarest, 1822)
- Common name
- Prevost's Squirrel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
- Genus
- Callosciurus
- 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
- subfamilyCallosciurinae Pocock, 1923
- genusCallosciurus Gray, 1867
- speciesCallosciurus prevostii (Desmarest, 1822)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Callosciurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pallas's SquirrelCallosciurus erythraeus (Pallas, 1779) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Finlayson's SquirrelCallosciurus finlaysonii (Horsfield, 1823) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Inornate SquirrelCallosciurus inornatus (Gray, 1867) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-striped SquirrelCallosciurus nigrovittatus (Horsfield, 1823) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plantain SquirrelCallosciurus notatus (Boddaert, 1785) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Borneo Black-banded SquirrelCallosciurus orestes (Thomas, 1895) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Phayre's SquirrelCallosciurus phayrei (Blyth, 1856) | 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=632337 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:PW65. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.