The Hainan flying squirrel (''Hylopetes electilis'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

in the family

Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

. It is endemic to

Hainan Island Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly ...

in China. It was formerly considered conspecific with the

Indochinese flying squirrel The Indochinese flying squirrel (''Hylopetes phayrei''), also known as Phayre's flying squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việ ...

(''H. phayrei'') until a 2013 study found them to be distinct species. Both species have anatomical and genetic differences, as well as differences in pelage coloration. They are thought to have a relatively recent genetic divergence from one another.

References

Hylopetes Rodents of China Endemic fauna of Hainan Mammals described in 1925 Taxa named by Glover Morrill Allen {{Squirrel-stub