Squirrels of the World

224 Heliosciurus gambianus

Male—HB 217.7 mm (n = 12); T 239.9 mm (n = 11); Mass
245.0 g (n = 2).
Sex not stated—HB 200.6 mm (n = 51); T 201.5 mm (n = 2);
Mass 212.9 g (n = 55).

distribution: This species is split into three geographic
ranges through sub-Saharan Africa: (1) its northern range
stretches through Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea,
Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Côte D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso,
Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, the Central
African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya; (2) a small
population is limited to a small patch of western Sudan; and
(3) its southern range extends from Angola through the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania.

geographic variation: Sixteen subspecies are currently
recognized.

H. g. gambianus—Gambia to western Nigeria. This squirrel
prefers Guinea woodlands. It has a brown back and a
light gray belly.
H. g. abassensis—Senegal to Sudan, south through central
Cameroon and northeastern Congo, northern Uganda
and eastern Kenya, and through southern Republic of
the Congo, Angola and northern Zambia. It resembles H.
g. kaff ensis, but H. g. abassensis is paler, with shorter hair.
The tops of the feet are golden, and the bottoms are red-
dish white. The hairs on the head and nose are slightly
darker.
H. g. bongensis—Shari River (Central African Republic) to
Bahr-el-Ghazal (Sudan). It prefers a moist riverine wood-
land habitat. This subspecies has a red tinge on the
crown, neck, middle of the back, inner surface of the
thighs, and at the base of the tail. The tail bands are in-
distinct, and the dorsal surfaces of the feet and arms are
paler in color than in H. g. gambianus.
H. g. canaster—elevations around 1200 m in the foothills of
the Jebel Marra (western Sudan). It is a paler gray color,
with light red hairs around the anus and the base of the
tail.
H. g. dysoni—west of Lake Rudolph (= Lake Turkana) in
Kenya. This form has wide white eye rings and yellow
highlights on the cheeks, crown, arms, hands, and feet.
H. g. elegans—Mount Elgon (western Kenya and northern
Uga nda). Th is subspecies ha s bu ff y-colored pelage on the
back, the ears, the forearms, the back of the hands and
feet, and the anal region. The rump and the base of the
tail are tinged orange.
H. g. hoogstraali—Torit, Ikoto, and Obbo (Sudan). The back
has a grizzled mixture of dark red, black, and white

hairs; unconnected white stripes are above and below

each eye. The cheeks, feet, hands, and lateral surfaces of

the forearms are buff colored; the belly, throat, chin,

edges of the hind feet, and the base of the tail are dark

red.

H. g. kaff ensis—Anderatscha (=Andracha), in Kaff a (Ethio-

pia). This subspecies has reddish dorsal pelage and a pure

white belly. The limbs are red, with the tops of the feet a

brighter rust color and the medial surfaces of the limbs

a fainter reddish white. The tail is long and thick, with a

black and white appearance.

H. g. lateris—White Nile (Sudan). It has a black and grayish

white tail and gray feet.

H. g. limbatus—streamside forests in the Central African

Republic and Cameroon. The thighs and the ventral and

lateral sides are white; the back is faintly red. The tail

bands are indistinct.

H. g. loandicus—northern Angola and the upper Lomani River

(northern Katanga, Republic of the Congo). It has a yellow

coloration on the hands, feet, and edges of the forearms.

H. g. madogae—Equatoria Province (Sudan) into Uganda.

This subspecies is buff y, with a yellow ventral pelage and

Heliosciurus gambianus. Photo courtesy Sue Robinson.

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