Sciurus variegatoides Ogilby, 1839

Sciurus variegatoides Ogilby, 1839 View in CoL

Material examined.

Costa Rica • Puntarenas Province, Karen Mogensen Wildlife Refuge ; 09°52'09"N, 085°03'28"W; 296 m alt.; 19.01.2018; direct observation GoogleMaps .

Identification.

Small to medium sized rodent, with a long furry tail. The hair is extremely variable. Due to this characteristic at least seven subspecies are recognised in Costa Rica. All except E. v. melania – living in the southwestern part of the country – show a dark tail frosted with evident hairs, normally white to cream. The subspecies found in the Karen Mogensen Wildlife Refuge is S. v. atrirufus , characterised by a totally orange fur, except for a black midline on its back. This subspecies is endemic to southern Nicoya Peninsula ( Mammal Diversity Database 2025). Some authors consider this species as belonging to genus Echinosciurus ( de Abreu-Jr et al. 2020; Reid and Gόmez Zamora 2022). Fairly common in the Wildlife Refuge. Recorded in various habitat types in all seasons.