{{Short description|Genus of rodents}} {{Automatic taxobox | name = Asiatic striped squirrel | fossil_range = Late Pliocene to recent | image = Tamiops mcclellandii - Kaeng Krachan.jpg | image_caption = Himalayan striped squirrel (''Tamiops mcclellandii'') | taxon = Tamiops | authority = J. A. Allen, 1906 | type_species = ''Tamiops macclellandi hainanus''<ref>{{MSW3|id=12400675}}</ref> | type_species_authority = J. A. Allen, 1906<br />(= ''Tamiops maritimus hainanus'' J. A. Allen, 1906) | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = ''Tamiops maritimus''<br /> ''Tamiops mcclellandii''<br /> ''Tamiops minshanica'' <br/> ''Tamiops rodolphii''<br /> ''Tamiops swinhoei'' }}

'''Asiatic striped squirrels''' are a genus ('''''Tamiops''''') of squirrels (Sciuridae) in the subfamily Callosciurinae. They are small striped arboreal squirrels from Asia. Their head to body length measured from 10 to 13&nbsp;cm. They often are confused with other squirrels (e.f. ''Funambulus'' or ''Tamias''). In contrast to these other squirrels, they have smaller rounded ears with white-tipped hairs. A black longitudinal stripe is present in the middle of the back, which is parallel on both sides with two pairs of pale longitudinal stripes. These pale stripes are separated by dark brownish stripes.<ref name=TKSW12>Thorington, R. W. Jr., Koprowski, J. L., Steele, M. A. and J. F. Whatton. 2012. Squirrels of the World. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.</ref> In some countries, they are kept as pets.

<!-- nice, but encyclopedic?thumbnail|Systematic figure of the stripe pattern in Asiatic striped squirrel --> The four traditionally recognized species of Asiatic striped squirrels are: *Himalayan striped squirrel, ''T. mcclellandii'' *Maritime striped squirrel, ''T. maritimus'' *Cambodian striped squirrel, ''T. rodolphii'' *Swinhoe's striped squirrel, ''T. swinhoei''

A fifth species was described in 2022:<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Shaoying |last2=Tang |first2=Mingkun |last3=Murphy |first3=Robert W. |last4=Liu |first4=Yinxun |last5=Wang |first5=Xuming |last6=Wan |first6=Tao |last7=Liao |first7=Rui |last8=Tang |first8=Keyi |last9=Qing |first9=Jiao |last10=Chen |first10=Shunde |last11=Li |first11=Song |date=2022-03-21 |title=A new species of Tamiops (Rodentia, Sciuridae) from Sichuan, China |journal=Zootaxa |volume=5116 |issue=3 |pages=301–333 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.5116.3.1 |issn=1175-5334 |pmid=35391332}}</ref> *Minshan striped squirrel, ''T. minshanica''

Asiatic striped squirrels can be identified by the differences in the stripe pattern. For example, in some species, the stripe of the cheek interrupts in the shoulder region and does not continue to the outermost pale stripe.<ref name=TKSW12/>

<gallery> File:Drawings of differences in Asiatic striped squirrel species - Close up of the head region in lateral view.png|Drawings of differences in Asiatic striped squirrel species - close-up of the head region in lateral view </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{S. Callosciurinae nav}} {{Sciuromorpha|state=collapsed}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q811634}}

Category:Tamiops Category:Taxa named by Joel Asaph Allen

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